The Members convened were:

The Honourable Senators

AndersonAtaullahjanBattersBellemareBernardBeyakBlackBlack (Alberta)BoehmBoveyBoyerBussonCarignanCordyCormierCoyleDagenaisDawsonDayDeacon (Nova Scotia)Deacon (Ontario)DeanDowneDoyleDuffyDuncanDupuisDyckForestFrancisFureyGagnéGoldGreeneGriffinHarderHartlingHousakosJafferJoyalKlyneKutcherLaBoucane-BensonLankinLoffredaMacDonaldManningMarshallMartinMarwahMassicotteMcCoyMcInnisMégieMercerMitchellMiville-DechêneMocklerMoncionMoodieMunsonNgoOmidvarPatePetitclercPlettPoirierRavaliaRichardsRinguetteSaint-GermainSeidmanSimonsSinclairSmithTannasTkachukVernerWallinWellsWetstonWhiteWoo

The Members in attendance to business were:

The Honourable Senators

AndersonAtaullahjanBattersBellemareBernardBeyakBlackBlack (Alberta)Boehm*Boisvenu*BonifaceBoveyBoyerBussonCarignanCordyCormierCoyleDagenais*DalphondDawsonDayDeacon (Nova Scotia)Deacon (Ontario)DeanDowneDoyleDuffyDuncanDupuisDyckForest*Forest-NiesingFrancisFureyGagné*GalvezGoldGreeneGriffinHarderHartlingHousakosJafferJoyalKlyneKutcherLaBoucane-BensonLankinLoffredaMacDonaldManningMarshallMartinMarwahMassicotteMcCoyMcInnisMégieMercerMitchellMiville-DechêneMocklerMoncionMoodieMunsonNgoOmidvarPatePetitclercPlettPoirierRavaliaRichardsRinguetteSaint-GermainSeidmanSimonsSinclairSmithTannasTkachukVernerWallinWellsWetstonWhiteWoo

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

Tributes

Tribute was paid to the Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C., who will retire from the Senate on February 1, 2020.

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS

Tabling of Documents

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

Charter Statement prepared by the Minister of Justice in relation to Bill C-2, An Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020.—Sessional Paper No. 1/43-20.

Presenting or Tabling Reports from Committees

The Honourable Senator Mockler, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance, tabled the first report of the committee, entitled Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20.—Sessional Paper No. 1/43-21S.

Ordered: That the report be placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration later this day.

Introduction and First Reading of Government Bills

A message was brought from the House of Commons with Bill C-2, An Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020, to which it desires the concurrence of the Senate.

The bill was read the first time.

Ordered, That the bill be placed on the Orders of the Day for a second reading later this day.

Introduction and First Reading of Senate Public Bills

The Honourable Senator Mercer introduced Bill S-205, An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 and the Parliament of Canada Act (Speaker of the Senate).

The bill was read the first time.

The Honourable Senator Mercer moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Day, that the bill be placed on the Orders of the Day for a second reading two days hence.

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

o o o

The Honourable Senator Griffin introduced Bill S-206, An Act to amend the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act (use of wood).

The bill was read the first time.

The Honourable Senator Griffin moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Black (Ontario), that the bill be placed on the Orders of the Day for a second reading two days hence.

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

Tabling of Reports from Interparliamentary Delegations

The Honourable Senator Day tabled the following:

Report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association, 2019 Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Bratislava, Slovakia, May 31 to June 3, 2019.—Sessional Paper No. 1/43-22.

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The Honourable Senator Day tabled the following:

Report of the Canada-China Legislative Association, 23rd Annual Bilateral Meeting, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hong Kong and Macao, China, from May 18 to 26, 2019.—Sessional Paper No. 1/43-23.

Report of the Canada-China Legislative Association and the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group, 40th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), Bangkok, Thailand, from August 25 to 30, 2019.—Sessional Paper No. 1/43-24.

Notices of Motions

With leave of the Senate,

The Honourable Senator Mercer moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Cordy:

That, notwithstanding rule 5-6(2), the following inquiry be placed on the Notice Paper for later this day:

“By the Honourable Senator Mercer: That he will call the attention of the Senate to the career of the Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C.”; and

That, notwithstanding rule 6-3(1), during proceedings on this inquiry no senator speak for more than three minutes.

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

Question Period

The Senate proceeded to Question Period.

Orders of the Day

Government Business

Reports of Committees – Other

Consideration of the first report of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance, entitled Supplementary Estimates (A), 2019-20, tabled in the Senate on December 11, 2019.

The Honourable Senator Day moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C., that the report be adopted.

After debate,

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

Bills – Second Reading

Second reading of Bill C-2, An Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020.

The Honourable Senator Mitchell moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Bovey, that the bill be read the second time.

After debate,

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

The bill was then read the second time.

With leave of the Senate,

The Honourable Senator Mitchell moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Harder, P.C., that the bill be read for a third time.

After debate,

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

The bill was then read the third time and passed.

Ordered, That a message be sent to the House of Commons to acquaint that House that the Senate has passed this bill, without amendment.

Motions

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

MOTIONS

The Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C., moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Day:

That, in order to preserve the authority, dignity and reputation of the Senate of Canada, and in light of the following reports from the First Session of the Forty-second Parliament:

1.the Senate Ethics Officer’s Inquiry Report under the Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code for Senators concerning [then] Senator Don Meredith, dated March 9, 2017;

2.the Second Report of the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators presented on May 7, 2017;

3.the Senate Ethics Officer’s Inquiry Report under the Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code for Senators concerning former Senator Don Meredith, dated June 28, 2019; and

4.the Sixth Report of the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators tabled on July 29, 2019;

the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators be authorized to examine and report on the advisability of adopting the following motion:

That the Senate call on the Prime Minister to recommend to Her Excellency the Governor General that former senator Don Meredith be excluded from the application of section 6 of the Table of Titles to be used in Canada, and no longer entitled to the style of “Honourable”, and that former senator Meredith no longer receive any precedence or status that would normally be accorded a former senator.;

That in conducting its examination of this question, the committee afford former Senator Meredith the opportunity to be heard by the committee;

That notwithstanding the provisions of rule 12-28(1), the committee be empowered to meet in public for the purposes of this study if it accepts a request from former Senator Meredith to that effect; and

That the committee present its final report no later than January 31, 2020.

After debate,

The Honourable Senator Bernard moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Dupuis, 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

The Honourable Senator Gold moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Woo:

That the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence be authorized to examine and report on the body of issues known as “intelligence to evidence”, when and if the committee is formed; and

That the committee submit its final report no later than December 31, 2020.

After debate,

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

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

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The Honourable Senator Lankin, P.C., moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Gagné:

That the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, when and if it is formed, be authorized to examine and report on the future of workers in order to evaluate:

(a)how data and information on the gig economy in Canada is being collected and potential gaps in knowledge;

(b)the effectiveness of current labour protections for people who work through digital platforms and temporary foreign workers programs;

(c)the negative impacts of precarious work and the gig economy on benefits, pensions and other government services relating to employment; and

(d)the accessibility of retraining and skills development programs for workers;

That in conducting this evaluation the committee pay particular attention to the negative effects of precarious employment being disproportionately felt by workers of colour, new immigrant and indigenous workers; and

That the committee submit its final report on this study to the Senate no later than April 7, 2022.

Further debate on the motion was adjourned until the next sitting, in the name of the Honourable Senator Lankin, P.C.

INQUIRIES

The Honourable Senator Mercer called the attention of the Senate to the career of the Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C.

Debate concluded.

ADJOURNMENT

The Honourable Senator Harder, P.C., moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Lankin, P.C.:

That the Senate do now adjourn.

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

(Accordingly, at 6:19 p.m., the Senate was continued until tomorrow at 2 p.m.)

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

Service Fees Report of the Canada Revenue Agency for 2018-19, pursuant to the Service Fees Act, S.C. 2017, c. 20, s. 20.—Sessional Paper No. 1/43-18.

Actuarial Report of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions on the Canada Pension Plan dated December 31, 2018, pursuant to the Canada Pension Plan Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-8, s. 115.—Sessional Paper No. 1/43-19.