Order Paper and Notice Paper
The Order Paper and Notice Paper is a document that guides the deliberations of the Senate and lists items of business currently before it. These items are listed in several different categories and in a priority according to an arrangement adopted by the Senate as stipulated in the rules. The majority of these items constitute the Orders of the Day which are called following Routine Proceedings. These items are themselves divided into two principal categories - government business and other business. Within each of these two categories are items for bills, motions, inquiries and reports of committees.
The Notice Paper contains the text of motions and inquiries not yet called for debate.
The Order Paper and Notice Paper is prepared every day in advance of the actual sitting.
Order of Business
(The following is an outline of a typical sitting day in the Senate. Variations are possible subject to the Rules and to the decisions of the Senate.)
Senators' Statements (15 minutes)
ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS (30 minutes)
1. Tabling of Documents
2. Presenting or Tabling Reports from Committees
3. Government Notices of Motions
4. Government Notices of Inquiries
5. Introduction and First Reading of Government Bills
6. Introduction and First Reading of Senate Public Bills
7. First Reading of Commons Public Bills
8. Reading of Petitions for Private Bills
9. Introduction and First Reading of Private Bills
10. Tabling of Reports from Interparliamentary Delegations
11. Notices of Motions
12. Notices of Inquiries
13. Tabling of Petitions
Question Period (30 minutes)
Delayed Answers
ORDERS OF THE DAY
Government Business
• Bills — Messages from the House of Commons
• Bills — Third Reading
• Bills — Reports of Committees
• Bills — Second Reading
• Reports of Committees — Other
• Motions
• Inquiries
• Other
Other Business
• Bills — Messages from the House of Commons
• Senate Public Bills — Third Reading
• Commons Public Bills — Third Reading
• Private Bills — Third Reading
• Senate Public Bills — Reports of Committees
• Commons Public Bills — Reports of Committees
• Private Bills — Reports of Committees
• Senate Public Bills — Second Reading
• Commons Public Bills — Second Reading
• Private Bills — Second Reading
• Reports of Committees — Other
• Motions
• Inquiries
• Other
NOTICE PAPER
• Notices of Motions
• Notices of Inquiries
Orders Of The Day
Government Business
Bills – Messages from the House of Commons
Nil
Bills – Third Reading
Nil
Bills – Reports of Committees
Nil
Bills – Second Reading
No. 1.
February 19, 2019—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Sinclair, seconded by the Honourable Senator Campbell, for the second reading of Bill C-75, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.
No. 2.
March 20, 2019—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Gold, seconded by the Honourable Senator Omidvar, for the second reading of Bill C-77, An Act to amend the National Defence Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts.
No. 3.
February 26, 2019—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Dalphond, seconded by the Honourable Senator Coyle, for the second reading of Bill C-78, An Act to amend the Divorce Act, the Family Orders and Agreements Enforcement Assistance Act and the Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act and to make consequential amendments to another Act.
No. 4.
March 19, 2019—Second reading of Bill C-83, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and another Act.
No. 5.
February 26, 2019—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Wetston, seconded by the Honourable Senator Bovey, for the second reading of Bill C-85, An Act to amend the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act and to make related amendments to other Acts.
Reports of Committees – Other
No. 22.
November 27, 2018—Consideration of the twenty-eighth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs (Subject matter of Bill C-86, A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 27, 2018 and other measures), tabled in the Senate on November 27, 2018.
No. 23.
November 27, 2018—Consideration of the twentieth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (Subject matter of Bill C-86, A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 27, 2018 and other measures), tabled in the Senate on November 27, 2018.
No. 24.
November 29, 2018—Consideration of the thirtieth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (Subject matter of Bill C-86, A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 27, 2018 and other measures), tabled in the Senate on November 29, 2018.
No. 25.
February 20, 2019—Resuming debate on the consideration of the eighteenth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources (Subject matter of Bill C-86, A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 27, 2018 and other measures), tabled in the Senate on November 29, 2018.
No. 26.
December 3, 2018—Consideration of the fourteenth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples (Subject matter of Bill C-86, A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 27, 2018 and other measures), tabled in the Senate on December 3, 2018.
No. 27.
December 4, 2018—Consideration of the twenty-sixth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce (Subject matter of Bill C-86, A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 27, 2018 and other measures), tabled in the Senate on December 4, 2018.
No. 28.
December 4, 2018—Consideration of the fourteenth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications (Subject matter of Bill C-86, A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 27, 2018 and other measures), tabled in the Senate on December 4, 2018.
Motions
No. 1.
December 8, 2015—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Jaffer, seconded by the Honourable Senator Cordy:
That the following Address be presented to His Excellency the Governor General of Canada:
To His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Military Merit, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada.
MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY:
We, Her Majesty’s most loyal and dutiful subjects, the Senate of Canada in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Excellency for the gracious Speech which Your Excellency has addressed to both Houses of Parliament.
No. 246.
By the Honourable Senator Bellemare:
February 20, 2019—That, for the remainder of the current session, without affecting any authority separately granted to a committee to meet while the Senate is sitting, committees scheduled to meet be authorized to do so for the purpose of considering Government Business, even if the Senate is then sitting, with the application of rule 12-18(1) being suspended in relation thereto.
No. 251.
By the Honourable Senator Bellemare:
February 27, 2019—That, for the remainder of the current session, when the Senate sits on a Wednesday:
1.the provisions of the order of February 4, 2016, relating to the adjournment or suspension of the sitting at 4 p.m., only take effect at the later of 4 p.m., the end of Question Period, or the end of Government Business; and
2.notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1 of this order, the sitting not continue beyond the time otherwise provided in the Rules.
No. 258.
By the Honourable Senator Bellemare:
March 20, 2019—That, notwithstanding rule 3-1(2):
1.when the Senate next adjourns after the adoption of this motion, it do stand adjourned until Saturday, March 23, 2019, at 10 a.m.; and
2.when the Senate adjourns on Saturday, March 23, 2019, it do stand adjourned until Sunday, March 24, 2019, at 10 a.m.
Inquiries
No. 4.
By the Honourable Senator Harder, P.C.:
March 21, 2019—That he will call the attention of the Senate to the budget entitled Investing in the Middle Class, tabled in the House of Commons on March 19, 2019, by the Minister of Finance, the Honourable Bill Morneau, P.C., M.P., and in the Senate on March 20, 2019.
Other
Nil
Other Business
Rule 4-15(2) states:
Except as otherwise ordered by the Senate, any item of Other Business on the Order Paper and any motion or inquiry on the Notice Paper that have not been proceeded with during 15 sitting days shall be dropped from the Order Paper and Notice Paper.
Consequently, the number appearing in parentheses indicates the number of sittings since the item was last proceeded with.
Bills – Messages from the House of Commons
No. 1. (one)
October 18, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Seidman, seconded by the Honourable Senator Boisvenu:
That the Senate agree to the amendments made by the House of Commons to Bill S-228, An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibiting food and beverage marketing directed at children); and
That a message be sent to the House of Commons to acquaint that house accordingly.—(Honourable Senator Martin)
Senate Public Bills – Third Reading
No. 1. (twelve)
March 28, 2017—Third reading of Bill S-213, An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 and the Parliament of Canada Act (Speakership of the Senate).—(Honourable Senator Mercer)
No. 2. (two)
May 8, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Ringuette, seconded by the Honourable Senator Moncion, for the third reading of Bill S-237, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (criminal interest rate), as amended.
And on the motion in amendment of the Honourable Senator Cools, seconded by the Honourable Senator Bovey:
That Bill S-237, as amended, be not now read a third time, but that it be further amended in clause 1, on page 1, by replacing line 15 (as replaced by decision of the Senate on April 19, 2018) with the following:
“plus thirty-five per cent on the credit advanced under an”.—(Honourable Senator Hartling)
Commons Public Bills – Third Reading
No. 1. (four)
February 21, 2019—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Mégie, seconded by the Honourable Senator Dasko, for the third reading of Bill C-243, An Act respecting the development of a national maternity assistance program strategy.—(Honourable Senator Martin)
Private Bills – Third Reading
No. 1. (three)
December 11, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Mercer, seconded by the Honourable Senator Cordy, for the third reading of Bill S-1002, An Act respecting Girl Guides of Canada.
And on the motion in amendment of the Honourable Senator Dalphond, seconded by the Honourable Senator Dupuis:
That Bill S-1002 be not now read a third time, but that it be amended on page 8 by adding the following after line 17:
“16.1 (1) Directors of the Corporation are jointly and severally, or solidarily, liable to employees of the Corporation for all debts not exceeding six months’ wages payable to each employee for services performed for the Corporation while they are directors.
(2) A director is not liable under subsection (1) unless
(a) the Corporation has been sued for the debt within six months after it has become due and execution has been returned unsatisfied in whole or in part;
(b) the Corporation has commenced liquidation and dissolution proceedings or has been dissolved and a claim for the debt has been proved within six months after the earlier of the date of commencement of the liquidation and dissolution proceedings and the date of dissolution; or
(c) the Corporation has made an assignment or a receiving order has been made against it under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and a claim for the debt has been proved within six months after the date of the assignment or receiving order.
(3) A director, unless sued for a debt referred to in subsection (1) while a director or within two years after ceasing to be a director, is not liable under this section.
(4) If execution referred to in paragraph (2)(a) has issued, the amount recoverable from a director is the amount remaining unsatisfied after execution.
(5) A director who pays a debt referred to in subsection (1) that is proved in liquidation and dissolution or bankruptcy proceedings is subrogated to any priority that the employee would have been entitled to and, if a judgment has been obtained, the director is
(a) in Quebec, subrogated to the employee’s rights as declared in the judgment; and
(b) elsewhere in Canada, entitled to an assignment of the judgment.
(6) A director who has satisfied a claim under this section is entitled to recover from the other directors who were liable for the claim their respective shares.”.—(Honourable Senator Mercer)
Senate Public Bills – Reports of Committees
Nil
Commons Public Bills – Reports of Committees
Nil
Private Bills – Reports of Committees
Nil
Senate Public Bills – Second Reading
No. 1.
March 24, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Patterson, seconded by the Honourable Senator Enverga, for the second reading of Bill S-221, An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (Property qualifications of Senators).—(Honourable Senator Plett)
No. 2. (twelve)
May 29, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Wetston, seconded by the Honourable Senator Marwah, for the second reading of Bill S-250, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (interception of private communications).—(Honourable Senator Martin)
No. 3. (ten)
September 25, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Eggleton, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator Richards, for the second reading of Bill S-253, An Act to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and other Acts and Regulations (pension plans).—(Honourable Senator Housakos)
No. 4.
October 23, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Bellemare, seconded by the Honourable Senator Petitclerc, for the second reading of Bill S-254, An Act to establish Promotion of Essential Skills Learning Week.—(Honourable Senator Mégie)
No. 5. (two)
October 23, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Bernard, seconded by the Honourable Senator Forest, for the second reading of Bill S-255, An Act proclaiming Emancipation Day.—(Honourable Senator Martin)
No. 6.
November 27, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Bellemare, seconded by the Honourable Senator Harder, P.C., for the second reading of Bill S-256, An Act respecting the development of a national framework for essential workforce skills.—(Honourable Senator Mégie)
No. 7. (six)
December 11, 2018—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).—(Honourable Senator Ngo)
No. 8.
March 19, 2019—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Pate, seconded by the Honourable Senator Mégie, for the second reading of Bill S-258, An Act to amend the Criminal Records Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.—(Honourable Senator Cormier)
No. 9.
March 21, 2019—Second reading of Bill S-259, An Act respecting the repurposing of certain seized, frozen or sequestrated assets.—(Honourable Senator Omidvar)
Commons Public Bills – Second Reading
No. 1.
October 23, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Sinclair, seconded by the Honourable Senator Pratte, for the second reading of Bill C-262, An Act to ensure that the laws of Canada are in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.—(Honourable Senator Tannas)
No. 2.
March 19, 2019—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.—(Honourable Senator Plett)
No. 3. (four)
December 13, 2018—Second reading of Bill C-316, An Act to amend the Canada Revenue Agency Act (organ donors).—(Honourable Senator Harder, P.C.)
No. 4. (three)
February 19, 2019—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Galvez, seconded by the Honourable Senator Klyne, for the second reading of Bill C-326, An Act to amend the Department of Health Act (drinking water guidelines).—(Honourable Senator Galvez)
No. 5. (four)
November 1, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Omidvar, seconded by the Honourable Senator Gold, for the second reading of Bill C-344, An Act to amend the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act (community benefit).—(Honourable Senator Wells)
No. 6. (one)
October 18, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Griffin, seconded by the Honourable Senator Mégie, for the second reading of Bill C-354, An Act to amend the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act (use of wood).—(Honourable Senator Wells)
No. 7. (fourteen)
September 20, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Sinclair, seconded by the Honourable Senator Pratte, for the second reading of Bill C-374, An Act to amend the Historic Sites and Monuments Act (composition of the Board).—(Honourable Senator Housakos)
No. 8. (ten)
November 8, 2018—Second reading of Bill C-375, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (presentence report).—(Honourable Senator Harder, P.C.)
No. 9. (three)
February 20, 2019—Second reading of Bill C-391, An Act respecting a national strategy for the repatriation of Indigenous human remains and cultural property.—(Honourable Senator Harder, P.C.)
No. 10. (eight)
November 22, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Harder, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator Verner, P.C., for the second reading of Bill C-402, An Act to change the name of certain electoral districts.—(Honourable Senator Brazeau)
Private Bills – Second Reading
Nil
Reports of Committees – Other
No. 1. (five)
November 15, 2016—Resuming debate on the consideration of the first report (interim) of the Special Senate Committee on Senate Modernization, entitled Senate Modernization: Moving Forward, deposited with the Clerk of the Senate on October 4, 2016.—(Honourable Senator Martin)
No. 5. (fourteen)
November 2, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Tannas, seconded by the Honourable Senator Wells, for the adoption of the sixth report (interim) of the Special Senate Committee on Senate Modernization, entitled Senate Modernization: Moving Forward (Speakership), presented in the Senate on October 5, 2016.—(Honourable Senator Bellemare)
No. 6. (six)
November 22, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Massicotte, seconded by the Honourable Senator Moore for the adoption of the seventh report (interim), as amended, of the Special Senate Committee on Senate Modernization, entitled Senate Modernization: Moving Forward (Regional interest), presented in the Senate on October 18, 2016.—(Honourable Senator Housakos)
No. 7. (eleven)
February 28, 2017—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Frum, seconded by the Honourable Senator Beyak for the adoption of the ninth report (interim) of the Special Senate Committee on Senate Modernization, entitled Senate Modernization: Moving Forward (Question Period), presented in the Senate on October 25, 2016.—(Honourable Senator Martin)
No. 50. (ten)
November 1, 2017—Resuming debate on the consideration of the tenth report (interim) of the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources, entitled Decarbonizing Transportation in Canada, tabled in the Senate on June 22, 2017.—(Honourable Senator Neufeld)
No. 100. (three)
October 25, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Black (Alberta), seconded by the Honourable Senator Bovey:
That the twenty-fourth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce, tabled on Tuesday, October 16, 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 Finance being identified as minister responsible for responding to the report.—(Honourable Senator Ringuette)
No. 101. (three)
February 19, 2019—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Black (Alberta), seconded by the Honourable Senator Pratte, for the adoption of the twenty-fifth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce, entitled Cyber assault: It should keep you up at night, deposited with the Clerk of the Senate on October 29, 2018.—(Honourable Senator Martin)
No. 102. (five)
December 5, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Housakos, seconded by the Honourable Senator Martin for the adoption of the tenth report of the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament, entitled Develop and propose amendments to the Rules of the Senate to establish the Standing Committee on Audit and Oversight, presented in the Senate on November 29, 2018.—(Honourable Senator Gold)
No. 104. (three)
February 19, 2019—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Black (Alberta), seconded by the Honourable Senator Bovey, for the adoption of the twenty-ninth report (interim) of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce, entitled The collection of financial information by Statistics Canada, tabled in the Senate on December 11, 2018.—(Honourable Senator Martin)
No. 105. (four)
December 11, 2018—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.—(Honourable Senator Greene)
No. 107. (three)
February 20, 2019—Consideration of the sixteenth report (interim) of the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights, entitled Study on the Human Rights of Federally-Sentenced Persons: The Most Basic Human Right is to be Treated as a Human Being, tabled in the Senate on February 20, 2019.—(Honourable Senator Bernard)
No. 110. (two)
February 28, 2019—Consideration of the thirtieth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce, entitled Ten Years After the Financial Crisis: An Update on Systemic Risks, tabled in the Senate on February 28, 2019.—(Honourable Senator Black (Alberta))
No. 114.
March 21, 2019—Consideration of the thirty-eighth report of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, entitled Process for recommendation – Clerk of the Senate and Clerk of the Parliaments, presented in the Senate on March 21, 2019.—(Honourable Senator Marwah)
Motions
No. 73. (thirteen)
March 24, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Patterson, seconded by the Honourable Senator Runciman:
Whereas the Senate provides representation for groups that are often underrepresented in Parliament, such as Aboriginal peoples, visible minorities and women;
Whereas paragraph (3) of section 23 of the Constitution Act, 1867 requires that, in order to be qualified for appointment to and to maintain a place in the Senate, a person must own land with a net worth of at least four thousand dollars in the province for which he or she is appointed;
Whereas a person’s personal circumstances or the availability of real property in a particular location may prevent him or her from owning the required property;
Whereas appointment to the Senate should not be restricted to those who own real property of a minimum net worth;
Whereas the existing real property qualification is inconsistent with the democratic values of modern Canadian society and is no longer an appropriate or relevant measure of the fitness of a person to serve in the Senate;
Whereas, in the case of Quebec, each of the twenty-four Senators representing the province must be appointed for and must have either their real property qualification in or be resident of a specified Electoral Division;
Whereas an amendment to the Constitution of Canada in relation to any provision that applies to one or more, but not all, provinces may be made by proclamation issued by the Governor General under the Great Seal of Canada only where so authorized by resolutions of the Senate and House of Commons and of the legislative assembly of each province to which the amendment applies;
Whereas the Supreme Court of Canada has determined that a full repeal of paragraph (3) of section 23 of the Constitution Act, 1867, respecting the real property qualification of Senators, would require a resolution of the Quebec National Assembly pursuant to section 43 of the Constitution Act, 1982;
Now, therefore, the Senate resolves that an amendment to the Constitution of Canada be authorized to be made by proclamation issued by His Excellency the Governor General under the Great Seal of Canada in accordance with the Schedule hereto.
SCHEDULE
AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF CANADA
1.(1) Paragraph (3) of section 23 of the Constitution Act, 1867 is repealed.
(2) Section 23 of the Act is amended by replacing the semi-colon at the end of paragraph (5) with a period and by repealing paragraph (6).
2.The Declaration of Qualification set out in The Fifth Schedule to the Act is replaced by the following:
I, A.B., do declare and testify that I am by law duly qualified to be appointed a member of the Senate of Canada.
3. This Amendment may be cited as the Constitution Amendment, [year of proclamation] (Real property qualification of Senators).—(Honourable Senator Gold)
No. 89.
May 12, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Bellemare, seconded by the Honourable Senator Harder, P.C.:
That, in order to ensure that legislative reports of Senate committees follow a transparent, comprehensible and non-partisan methodology, the Rules of the Senate be amended by replacing rule 12-23(1) by the following:
“Obligation to report bill
12-23. (1) The committee to which a bill has been referred shall report the bill to the Senate. The report shall set out any amendments that the committee is recommending. In addition, the report shall have appended to it the committee’s observations on:
(a) whether the bill generally conforms with the Constitution of Canada, including:
(i) the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and
(ii) the division of legislative powers between Parliament and the provincial and territorial legislatures;
(b) whether the bill conforms with treaties and international agreements that Canada has signed or ratified;
(c) whether the bill unduly impinges on any minority or economically disadvantaged groups;
(d) whether the bill has any impact on one or more provinces or territories;
(e) whether the appropriate consultations have been conducted;
(f) whether the bill contains any obvious drafting errors;
(g) all amendments moved but not adopted in the committee, including the text of these amendments; and
(h) any other matter that, in the committee’s opinion, should be brought to the attention of the Senate.”
And on the motion in amendment of the Honourable Senator Nancy Ruth, seconded by the Honourable Senator Tkachuk:
That the motion be not now adopted, but that it be amended by:
1.adding the following new subsection after proposed subsection (c):
“(d) whether the bill has received substantive gender-based analysis;”; and
2.by changing the designation for current proposed subsections (d) to (h) to (e) to (i).
And on the motion of the Honourable Senator Omidvar, seconded by the Honourable Senator Mercer:
That the motion and the amendment now under debate be referred to the Special Senate Committee on Senate Modernization for consideration and report.—(Honourable Senator Martin)
No. 146. (twelve)
December 12, 2016—Resuming debate on the motion, as amended, of the Honourable Senator Ringuette, seconded by the Honourable Senator Lankin, P.C.:
That the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade, and Commerce be authorized to:
(a)Review the operations of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC), the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI), and ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office (ADRBO);
(b)Review the agencies’ interaction with and respect for provincial jurisdictions;
(c)Review and determine best practices from similar agencies in other jurisdictions;
(d)Provide recommendations to ensure that the FCAC, OBSI, and ADRBO can better protect consumers and respect provincial jurisdiction; and
That the Committee submit its final report no later than March 18, 2018, and retain all powers necessary to publicize its findings until 180 days after the tabling of the final report.—(Honourable Senator Marwah)
No. 189. (seven)
May 8, 2017—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Ringuette, seconded by the Honourable Senator McCoy:
That the Rules of the Senate be amended by:
1.replacing the period at the end of rule 12-7(16) by the following:
“; and
Human Resources
12-7. (17) the Standing Senate Committee on Human Resources, to which may be referred matters relating to human resources generally.”; and
2.updating all cross references in the Rules accordingly.—(Honourable Senator Dean)
No. 215.
June 20, 2017—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Dawson, seconded by the Honourable Senator Munson:
That the Senate take note of Agenda 2030 and the related sustainable development goals adopted by the United Nations on September 25, 2015, and encourage the Government of Canada to take account of them as it drafts legislation and develops policy relating to sustainable development.
And on the motion in amendment of the Honourable Senator Bellemare, seconded by the Honourable Senator Petitclerc:
That the motion be not now adopted, but that it be amended by:
1.adding the words “Parliament and” after the word “encourage”; and
2.replacing, in the English version, the words “it drafts legislation and develops” by the words “they draft legislation and develop”.—(Honourable Senator Martin)
No. 302. (two)
February 15, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Pate, seconded by the Honourable Senator Marwah:
That the Senate administration be instructed to remove the website of the Honourable Senator Beyak from any Senate server and cease to support any website for the senator until the process undertaken by the Senate Ethics Officer following a request to conduct an inquiry under the Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code for Senators in relation to the content of Senator Beyak’s website and her obligations under the Code is finally disposed of, either by the tabling of the Senate Ethics Officer’s preliminary determination letter or inquiry report, by a report of the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators, or by a decision of the Senate respecting the matter.
And on the motion in amendment of the Honourable Senator Pratte, seconded by the Honourable Senator Coyle:
That the motion be not now adopted, but that it be amended:
1.by deleting the words “the Senate administration be instructed to remove the website of the Honourable Senator Beyak from any Senate server and cease to support any website for the senator”; and
2.by adding the following after the word “matter”:
“, the Senate administration be instructed:
(a)to remove the 103 letters of support dated March 8, 2017, to October 4, 2017, from the website of Senator Beyak (lynnbeyak.sencanada.ca) and any other website housed by a Senate server; and
(b)not to provide support, including technical support and the reimbursement of expenses, for any website of the senator that contains or links to any of the said letters of support”.—(Honourable Senator McPhedran)
No. 310. (twelve)
April 25, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Doyle, seconded by the Honourable Senator Tannas:
That the Senate encourage the Government of Canada to work with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the only province whose major population centres are not physically linked to the mainland of Canada, to evaluate the possibility of building a tunnel connecting the Island of Newfoundland to Labrador and the Quebec North Shore, in an effort to facilitate greater economic development in Canada’s Northeast, and to further strengthen national unity, including the possibility of using funding from the infrastructure program for this work; and
That a message be sent to the House of Commons to acquaint that house with the above.—(Honourable Senator Omidvar)
No. 325.
April 26, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator McCallum, seconded by the Honourable Senator Coyle:
That the Senate call on the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to:
(a)invite Pope Francis to Canada to apologize on behalf of the Catholic Church to Indigenous people for the church’s role in the residential school system, as outlined in Call to Action 58 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report;
(b)to respect its moral obligation and the spirit of the 2006 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement and resume the best efforts to raise the full amount of the agreed upon funds; and
(c)to make a consistent and sustained effort to turn over the relevant documents when called upon by survivors of residential schools, their families, and scholars working to understand the full scope of the horrors of the residential school system in the interest of truth and reconciliation.—(Honourable Senator Pate)
No. 357. (ten)
June 14, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Housakos, seconded by the Honourable Senator Smith:
That, in light of the Government of Canada’s recent significant shift in its foreign policy relating to Iran, which does not reflect the Senate’s recent decision to reject the principles of Bill S-219, An Act to deter Iran-sponsored terrorism, incitement to hatred, and human rights violations, including an annual report of Iranian human rights violations, the Senate now:
(a)strongly condemn the current regime in Iran for its ongoing sponsorship of terrorism around the world, including instigating violent attacks on the Gaza border;
(b)condemn the recent statements made by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for genocide against the Jewish people;
(c)call on the government to:
(i)abandon its current plan and immediately cease any and all negotiations or discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran to restore diplomatic relations;
(ii)demand that the Iranian Regime immediately release all Canadians and Canadian permanent residents who are currently detained in Iran, including Maryam Mombeini, the widow of Professor Kavous Sayed-Emami, and Saeed Malekpour, who has been imprisoned since 2008; and
(iii)immediately designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a listed terrorist entity under the Criminal Code of Canada; and
(d)stand with the people of Iran and recognize that they, like all people, have a fundamental right to freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression, including freedom of the press and other forms of communication, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association.—(Honourable Senator Tkachuk)
No. 358. (two)
June 14, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Eggleton, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator Mercer:
That the Senate urge the government to initiate consultations with the provinces, territories, Indigenous people, and other interested groups to develop an adequately funded national cost-shared universal nutrition program with the goal of ensuring healthy children and youth who, to that end, are educated in issues relating to nutrition and provided with a nutritious meal daily in a program with appropriate safeguards to ensure the independent oversight of food procurement, nutrition standards, and governance.—(Honourable Senator Martin)
No. 371. (ten)
September 20, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Brazeau, seconded by the Honourable Senator Deacon (Ontario):
That the Senate urge the Government of Canada and the RCMP to address the issue of fraudulent “native” individuals and organizations selling fraudulent membership or status cards, a practice that is detrimental to the Indigenous peoples of Canada.—(Honourable Senator McCallum)
No. 407. (eight)
November 22, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Housakos, seconded by the Honourable Senator Smith:
That the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance be authorized to examine and report on issues related to public assistance provided to multinational companies by the Government of Canada, including the 350 million dollar loan provided to Bombardier Inc. in 2008 and the 373 million dollars loaned to Bombardier Inc. in 2017, taking particular account of, but not limited to, the overall value of such investment on behalf of Canadians; and
That the committee submit its final report to the Senate no later than April 2, 2019, and that the committee retain all powers necessary to publicize its findings until 180 days after the tabling of the final report.—(Honourable Senator Gold)
No. 410. (four)
November 22, 2018—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Miville-Dechêne, seconded by the Honourable Senator Klyne:
That the Senate, in light of the decisions made by the Government of Ontario with respect to the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner and the Université de l’Ontario français:
1.reaffirm the importance of both official languages as the foundation of our federation;
2.remind the Government of Canada of its responsibility to defend and promote language rights, as expressed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Official Languages Act; and
3.urge the Government of Canada to take all necessary measures, within its jurisdiction, to ensure the vitality and development of official language minority communities.
No. 435.
February 28, 2019—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Smith, seconded by the Honourable Senator Martin:
That the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs be authorized to examine and report on the serious and disturbing allegations that persons in the Office of the Prime Minister attempted to exert pressure on the former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, P.C., M.P., and to interfere with her independence, thereby potentially undermining the integrity of the administration of justice;
That, as part of this study, and without limiting the committee’s right to invite other witnesses as it may decide, the committee invite:
The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P., Prime Minister of Canada;
The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, P.C., M.P.;
The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., M.P., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada;
Michael Wernick, Clerk of the Privy Council;
Kathleen Roussel, Director of Public Prosecutions;
Katie Telford, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister;
Gerald Butts, former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister;
Mathieu Bouchard, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister;
Elder Marques, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister; and
Jessica Prince, former Chief of Staff to the Minister of Veterans Affairs;
That the committee submit its final report no later than June 1, 2019; and
That the committee retain all powers necessary to publicize its findings until 180 days after tabling the final report.
And on the motion in amendment of the Honourable Senator Harder, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator Mitchell:
That the motion be not now adopted, but that it be amended by replacing all words following the first instance of the word “That” in the motion with the following:
“the Senate acknowledge that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, an independent, impartial, apolitical and non-partisan Officer of the House of Commons, has launched an examination under Section 45(1) of the Conflict of Interest Act into the conduct of public office holders alleged to have occurred in relation with legal proceedings involving SNC-Lavalin;
That the Senate observe that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has all the statutory powers necessary to summon the witnesses that his office will deem relevant and necessary to the said examination and to compel them to give evidence and produce documents; and
That the Government Representative table a copy of the report of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner setting out the facts in question as well as the Commissioner’s analysis and conclusions pursuant to Section 45 of the Conflict of Interest Act once it is public.”.
No. 439.
March 18, 2019—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Christmas, seconded by the Honourable Senator Griffin:
That the Senate call on the government to raise awareness of the magnitude of modern day slavery in Canada and abroad and to take steps to combat human trafficking, and
That the Senate also urge the government to designate the 22nd day of February each year as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, to coincide with the anniversary of the unanimous declaration of the House of Commons on February 22, 2007, to condemn all forms of human trafficking and slavery.—(Honourable Senator Martin)
No. 459.
March 19, 2019—Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Boniface, seconded by the Honourable Senator Deacon (Nova Scotia):
That the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence have the power to meet for the purposes of its study of Bill C-59, An Act respecting national security matters, even though the Senate may then be sitting, and that rule 12-18(1) be suspended in relation thereto.—(Honourable Senator Plett)
Inquiries
No. 12.
May 18, 2016—Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Seidman, calling the attention of the Senate to its role in the protection of regional and minority representation.—(Honourable Senator Mercer)
No. 20. (eight)
February 14, 2017—Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Tardif, calling the attention of the Senate to regional universities and the important role they play in Canada.—(Honourable Senator Mercer)
No. 26. (three)
May 30, 2017—Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator McPhedran, calling the attention of the Senate to the important opportunity we have to review our principles and procedures with a view to ensuring that the Senate has the strongest most effective policies and mechanisms possible to respond to complaints against senators of sexual or other kinds of harassment.—(Honourable Senator Miville-Dechêne)
No. 36. (five)
February 27, 2018—Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Bellemare, calling the attention of the Senate to the challenges of literacy and essential skills for the 21st century in Canada, the provinces and the territories.—(Honourable Senator McCallum)
No. 39. (eleven)
May 1, 2018—Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Bernard, calling the attention of the Senate to anti-black racism.—(Honourable Senator Cordy)
No. 40. (two)
March 29, 2018—Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Poirier, calling the attention of the Senate to the ongoing challenges faced by seasonal workers in New Brunswick.—(Honourable Senator Hartling)
No. 45. (fourteen)
October 3, 2018—Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Martin, calling the attention of the Senate to the career of the Honourable Senator Raine.—(Honourable Senator Omidvar)
No. 47. (three)
October 2, 2018—Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Wetston, calling the attention of the Senate to beneficial ownership transparency.—(Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C.)
No. 52. (six)
October 2, 2018—Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator McCallum, calling the attention of the Senate to the importance of preserving the Independent Assessment Process (IAP) records of those Indian Residential School survivors who claimed compensation for historic physical and sexual abuse, pursuant to the 2006 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA).—(Honourable Senator Sinclair)
No. 54. (five)
December 5, 2018—Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Manning, calling the attention of the Senate to the life of Nevaeh Denine.—(Honourable Senator Manning)
No. 55. (five)
December 5, 2018—Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Manning, calling the attention of the Senate to Newfoundland and Labrador’s contribution to the Armed Forces with reference to the war in Afghanistan.—(Honourable Senator Manning)
No. 56. (seven)
October 4, 2018—Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Richards, calling the attention of the Senate to the decimation of Atlantic salmon spawning grounds on the Miramichi, Restigouche and their tributaries.—(Honourable Senator Maltais)
Other
Nil
Notice Paper
Motions
No. 423. (six)
By the Honourable Senator Frum:
December 5, 2018—That the Senate:
(a)strongly condemn the current regime in Iran for its ongoing human rights abuses and sponsorship of terrorism around the world, including its vocal and material support aimed at the destruction of the State of Israel;
(b)condemn the recent statements made by Iran’s President, Hassan Rouhani, calling Israel a “cancerous tumor” in the region;
(c)call on the government to:
(i)demand that the Iranian Regime immediately release all Canadians and Canadian permanent residents who are currently detained in Iran, including Maryam Mombeini, the widow of Professor Kavous Sayed-Emami, and Saeed Malekpour, who has been imprisoned since 2008;
(ii)immediately designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in its entirety as a listed terrorist entity under the Criminal Code of Canada; and
(iii)to utilize the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law) to sanction Iranian government regime entities and individuals involved in egregious human rights abuses; and
(d)stand with the people of Iran and recognize that they, like all people, have a fundamental right to freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression, including freedom of the press and other forms of communication, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association.
No. 429. (five)
By the Honourable Senator Wells:
December 11, 2018—That the Senate call upon Statistics Canada to refrain from accessing, under section 13 of the Statistics Act, documents or records of a financial nature maintained in any financial institution or credit reporting agency when such documents or records contain information that makes it possible to identify an individual without that individual’s consent.
No. 432. (four)
By the Honourable Senator Galvez:
February 19, 2019—That, for the purposes of its consideration of Bill C-69, An Act to enact the Impact Assessment Act and the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, to amend the Navigation Protection Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources:
(a)be authorized to sit even though the Senate may then be sitting, with the application of rule 12-18(1) being suspended in relation thereto; and
(b)be authorized, notwithstanding rule 12-18(2), to meet from Monday to Friday, even though the Senate may then be adjourned for more than a week, or for more than a day but less than a week.
No. 457. (two)
By the Honourable Senator Mockler:
March 18, 2019—That the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance be authorized to meet on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, at 6:45 p.m., even though the Senate may then be sitting, and that the application of rule 12-18(1) be suspended in relation thereto.
No. 461. (two)
By the Honourable Senator Andreychuk:
March 18, 2019—That the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade have the power to meet on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, at 4:15 p.m., even though the Senate may then be sitting, and that rule 12-18(1) be suspended in relation thereto.
No. 465. (one)
By the Honourable Senator Cormier:
March 19, 2019—That the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages have the power to meet on Monday, April 1, 2019, even though the Senate may then be sitting, and that rule 12-18(1) be suspended in relation thereto.
No. 468.
By the Honourable Senator Ngo:
March 21, 2019—That the Senate urge the Government of Canada to actively support the genuine autonomy of Tibet and, consequently, to also call for the People’s Republic of China to:
(a)renew the Sino-Tibetan dialogue in good faith and based on the Middle Way Approach;
(b)respect the linguistics rights, freedom of movement, thought, conscience and religion of the people in Tibet;
(c)free all Tibetan political prisoners, and cease all arbitrary detention of dissidents; and
(d)grant Canada reciprocal diplomatic access to Tibet without limitations;
That the Senate also urge the Government of Canada to acknowledge the Dalai Lama’s appointment of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the official eleventh Panchen Lama; and
That a message be sent to the House of Commons to acquaint it with the foregoing.
No. 469.
By the Honourable Senator Dyck:
March 21, 2019—That the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples have the power to meet on Thursday, April 11, 2019, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., for the purposes of its study on the subject matter of Bill C-92, An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, even though the Senate may then be sitting, and that rule 12-18(1) be suspended in relation thereto.
No. 470.
By the Honourable Senator Plett:
March 21, 2019—That the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs be authorized to examine and report on the serious and disturbing allegations that persons in the Office of the Prime Minister attempted to exert pressure on the former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, P.C., M.P., and to interfere with her independence, thereby potentially undermining the integrity of the administration of justice;
That, as part of this study, and without limiting the committee’s right to invite other witnesses as it may decide, the committee invite the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, P.C., M.P.;
That the committee submit its final report no later than June 15, 2019; and
That the committee retain all powers necessary to publicize its findings until 180 days after tabling the final report.
Inquiries
No. 57. (four)
By the Honourable Senator Bellemare:
February 21, 2019—That she will call the attention of the Senate to the need to review the Bank of Canada Act and to extend its mandate.
No. 58. (four)
By the Honourable Senator Downe:
February 26, 2019—That he will call the attention of the Senate to:
(a)The regrettable failure of the Senate, on occasion, to perform its important duty of providing careful review of legislation. Many times over the years, senators have been urged and pressured by members of the government of the day to pass legislation as quickly as possible. However well intentioned, rushing legislation can have a long term negative impact;
(b)The example of the report last week by the Parliamentary Budget Officer “The cost differential between three regimes of Veterans Benefits”, which once again serves as a reminder of the rapid passage in 2005 of Bill C-45, the legislation enacting the New Veterans Charter which replaced the Pension Act;
(c)Bill C-45, which passed though both Houses of Parliament with a haste that did not reflect the serious impact of such legislation;
(d)The fact that having passed the House of Commons in two minutes, so quickly that second reading, committee study and third reading were deemed to have taken place over the space of those two minutes, Bill C-45 came here, where the four hours plus of chamber and committee debate was vastly more study than happened in the other place, but still in no way constituted the sober reflection and analysis that is our duty;
(e)The fact that the report of the Parliamentary Budget Officer last week demonstrated that the New Veterans Charter did not work as its proponents had promised, and as a result of senators’ failure to properly examine Bill C-45, disabled veterans and their families paid, and continue to pay the price. As the Parliamentary Budget Officer says in his report “From the perspective of the veteran, virtually all clients would be better off if they were to receive the benefits of the Pension Act.”, which the New Veterans Charter replaced;
(f)The fact that the Senate was in such a rush to pass the Bill that we referred it for a single meeting to the next committee that was scheduled to sit, not Defence or Veterans’ Affairs, but National Finance. And at that meeting, we were warned, but failed to heed the caution voiced by Sean Bruyea, retired Canadian Forces captain and longtime veterans’ advocate who testified “We all know that the government wants to be seen as honouring veterans, but that does not necessarily mean that their veteran’s charter is free of error… We believe disabled veterans and the CF would rather have it right than have a flawed and unjust charter right now”;
(g)The struggle we constantly face in this chamber, as every minister wants their bill passed, often with a real or imagined deadline looming, whether it be international obligations, public messaging, the summer break, or an election. Regarding the latter, it is worth recalling that the request to pass Bill C-45 quickly was so it would not die on the Order Paper prior to the 2006 Election;
(h)The lessons of the New Veterans Charter experience - that the Senate’s failure to do its job resulted in untold millions of dollars not being paid out to disabled veterans and their families. These were Canadian Forces members injured in the service of Canada;
(i)The opportunity we had to correct the legislation in 2005, and failed to do our job. Senators must reflect upon their obligation to provide sober second thought and to pass, amend, or reject legislation based solely on its merits; and
(j)Rather than simply standing and repeating platitudes in the days before Remembrance Day every year, let us work to remember them in our actions rather than empty words.
No. 59.
By the Honourable Senator Downe:
March 20, 2019—That he will call the attention of the Senate to:
(a)The importance of the federally-owned Confederation Bridge to the economy and way of life of Prince Edward Island, providing a vital link for commerce, tourism and the necessities of daily life for the people of that province;
(b)The heavy financial burden imposed by the toll on that Bridge, which amounted to $35.00 when it was first opened in May of 1997, but now stands at $47.75, an increase of 36 per cent, surely making the $3.70 per kilometer drive one of the most costly in Canada;
(c)The fact that while Prince Edward Islanders are grateful to have Confederation Bridge for the tremendous convenience and reduced transportation time for goods travelling to and from the Island, the reason Islanders initially agreed to a toll was the understanding that large scale federal transportation infrastructure programs required a “user pay” system in the form of tolls, and that was the only way they were going to get a bridge to replace the previous year-round ferry service;
(d)The change to that longstanding user pay policy when Justin Trudeau promised in the middle of the 2015 election campaign to cancel the toll on the replacement Champlain Bridge — like Confederation Bridge, also federally owned — being built in Montreal if he won;
(e)The Liberal victory in October of 2015 that resulted in the promised cancellation of the toll. However, keeping that impulsive election promise has pitted region against region and Canadians against Canadians. The feeling among many Prince Edward Islanders is that the federal government has favoured one part of the country by eliminating the toll on one bridge it owns and not on the other, and they wonder why Canadians are being treated differently depending on where they live;
(f)The repeated government justification for this unequal treatment — that the Champlain Bridge’s status as a “replacement” bridge warrants such inequality — rings hollow among those on the losing end of this disparity, both because the original Champlain Bridge charged a toll for 28 years, until it was paid for, and because the idea that the new Champlain Bridge is a “replacement bridge” is a distinction without a difference. Every bridge is a replacement for what came before, be that an older bridge, a ferry, or an alternate route. The decision to treat “new” and “replacement” bridges differently is every bit as much a political decision as the decision to cancel the toll on the Champlain Bridge;
(g)The Prime Minister’s statement, when asked in January 2017 about the unfairness of the toll on Confederation Bridge, that he would commit to, in his words “look at what can be done to make sure that people are able to travel freely and openly across this country at modest costs”, is a two year old commitment to Prince Edward Islanders that remains unfulfilled and is a promise unkept;
(h)Therefore, the Senate Chamber should examine and discuss the strain on the unity of Canada caused by this inconsistency in how our fellow citizens are treated, depending on where they reside in Canada and recommend to the government possible solutions to this problem.
Written Questions
No. 89.
By the Honourable Senator Raine:
May 10, 2018—With respect to the Foreign Tour and Convention Incentive Program:
In October 2016, I met with the Minister of Tourism, Bardish Chagger, to discuss tourism products that are sold in the export market (holiday packages bought by foreigners before leaving home), and to ask why tourism is the only Canadian export that is sold including GST.
GST should not be charged on tourism products sold by travel agents to non-Canadians and purchased outside Canada. Travel agents will market Canada to the world if the package prices are competitive with other destinations. Non-Canadians can be identified by insuring the exemption is only available for people travelling on a foreign passport.
1.Do the Minister of Tourism, the Minister of Finance, and/or the Minister of National Revenue have any plans to review the costs and benefits of the current Foreign Tour and Convention Incentive Program?
(a)If so, will the ministers include input from experts in the private tourism sector?
(b)If not, why have the ministers decided not to look into this program?
2.Foreign consumers can choose from many destinations. Canadian tourism must be competitive. The decision as to where to go is often driven by the cost of a tour package. Currently, because of the uncertainty of getting the GST rebated, retail prices of Canadian tour packages in foreign travel agencies usually include GST costs, making holidays to Canada more expensive than they need be. Why would we not try to maximize the number of foreign tourists visiting Canada?
No. 119.
By the Honourable Senator Boisvenu:
March 18, 2019—When will the work related to the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline linking the cities of Edmonton, Alberta and Burnaby, British Columbia begin?
No. 120.
By the Honourable Senator Boisvenu:
March 18, 2019—For each of the months following cannabis legalization in October 2018, how many illegal cannabis points of sale were shut down by the RCMP in each province and territory and in the areas where the RCMP is responsible for policing services?
No. 121.
By the Honourable Senator Boisvenu:
March 18, 2019—How many kilometers did the Minister of Environment’s official vehicle travel in each of the following years: 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018?
No. 122.
By the Honourable Senator Boisvenu:
March 18, 2019—What will be the impact on National Defence of the carbon tax on fuel costs?
No. 123.
By the Honourable Senator Boisvenu:
March 18, 2019—How many complaints related to the Victims Bill of Rights made by victims of crime and processed by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) were reported in each of the following years: 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018?
No. 124.
By the Honourable Senator Boisvenu:
March 18, 2019—For each province and territory, how many households saw the reinstatement of at-home mail delivery in each of the following years: 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018?
No. 125.
By the Honourable Senator Downe:
March 21, 2019—With respect to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA):
Regarding the commitment in the 2016 Federal Budget to spend $444.4 million (over five years) to combat tax evasion, and the commitment in the 2017 Federal Budget to spend $523.9 million (over five years) for the same purpose: a previous answer to one of my written questions indicated that less than $40 million of that had actually been spent as of the end of Fiscal Year 2016-17.
How much of that promised one billion dollars has actually been spent by the Canada Revenue Agency:
1.As of the end of Fiscal Year 2016-2017;
2.As of the end of Fiscal Year 2017-2018; and
3.As of March 20, 2019?