Debates of the Senate (Hansard)
1st Session, 44th Parliament
Volume 153, Issue 122
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
The Honourable George J. Furey, Speaker
- SENATORS’ STATEMENTS
- ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS
- QUESTION PERIOD
- ORDERS OF THE DAY
THE SENATE
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
The Senate met at 2 p.m., the Speaker in the chair.
Prayers.
Business of the Senate
The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I received a notice from the Leader of the Progressive Senate Group who requests, pursuant to rule 4-3(1), that the time provided for the consideration of Senators’ Statements be extended today for the purpose of paying tribute to the Honourable Patricia Bovey, who will retire from the Senate on May 15, 2023.
I remind senators that, pursuant to our rules, each senator, other than Senator Bovey, will be allowed only three minutes and they may speak only once.
Is it agreed that we continue our tributes to our colleague Senator Bovey under Senators’ Statements? We will therefore have up to 33 minutes for tributes, not including the time allotted for Senator Bovey’s response. Any time remaining after tributes would be used for other statements.
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
SENATORS’ STATEMENTS
Tributes
The Honourable Patricia Bovey
Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, isn’t it amazing how artists capture us — how they capture the world? We need art. We need the beauty, the truth and the points of view that are reflected back to us. Art is everywhere; it surrounds us, and sometimes we somehow manage to miss it. Art defines us and shapes us — it helps to shape what we do here, and it defines and influences debate on public policy and government. The importance of art in public discourse is too often minimalized or taken for granted.
Artists sometimes need champions — those who know their value and advocate tirelessly on their behalf. Senator Bovey has been one of those champions. Throughout the entirety of her career as an art historian, museologist, gallery director, professor and arts consultant, she has spent a lifetime working on behalf of Canadian artists in her home province of Manitoba, across Canada and throughout the world.
This continued with her appointment to the Senate of Canada in 2016. As a senator, she made it a focus to promote, celebrate and protect Canadian artists. This included introducing bills such as Bill S-208 and Bill S-202, as well as bringing Canadian art within the walls of the Senate of Canada building. Most notably, she curated the first ever installation of works by Black Canadian artists to be displayed in the Senate of Canada. She’s also been a tireless promoter of Indigenous artists and protecting their livelihoods from the counterfeit trade.
Colleagues, Senator Bovey has been a strong voice for Manitobans in Ottawa, and has been an invaluable member of our group. As we — the Progressive Senate Group, or PSG — were finding our footing as a new group, Senator Bovey was the first to decide to join our small but mighty group. In many ways, her optimism was a big part of the early and continued success of the Progressive Senate Group.
I, for one, have appreciated being able to lean on her and bounce ideas off her — always assured that I would receive her honest, measured thoughts. I will miss our dinners together where we had many discussions and many laughs, and solved many problems.
As you take your retirement from this place, you can take comfort knowing that you have served your province and Canadians well. You have been a wonderful colleague. We will miss your presence in the Senate.
You are so deserving of this time with your family, particularly your grandchildren, and they are deserving of the energy and time that you have so generously shared with us over the past seven years. Knowing you, I imagine that your days will remain as full as ever, promoting and championing Canadian art, artists and the Senate.
I hope that you will also allow yourself some time to rest. Enjoy this fresh canvas for this fresh new adventure. I wish you the very best.
Hugs!
Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to our esteemed colleague Senator Pat Bovey.
Since 2016, Senator Bovey has made important contributions to our debates here in the chamber, and in serving on the Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Rules, Transport and Communications, and Official Languages, as well as on the Special Committee on the Arctic.
As the first art historian and museologist to be appointed to the Senate, Senator Bovey has not only brought to our attention some of the pressing issues that Canadian artists face, but she has also been instrumental in showcasing the representations and visual voices of Canadians here on Senate premises. For example, she was the first to showcase the work of Black Canadian artists whose art is too often neglected in Canadian society. When visitors come to tour the Senate of Canada building and admire its art, their experience is very much enhanced by Senator Bovey’s leadership.
During the Forty-second Parliament, Senator Bovey served as the Senate sponsor of Bill C-55 — which brought forward important changes to the Oceans Act to create more marine protected areas off our coastlines, and was critical in advancing key components of the Government of Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan. Thanks to her leadership and advocacy, our country has made incredible strides in better protecting our precious marine and coastal areas, which are vital to our environmental health.
Over the years, Senator Bovey has been equally engaged in her home province of Manitoba. For example, she led the way in launching an inquiry into the 2018 tragic train derailment in northern Manitoba, which took the lives of two men from The Pas. And I am aware that she participates in walks with the Bear Clan Patrol on the streets of Winnipeg, lending a hand in picking up needles and helping some of the most vulnerable Winnipeggers, who are in distress and face hardships.
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[Translation]
Our paths crossed many times over the years, whether at the Université de Saint-Boniface, where she worked as an arts management consultant, at St. Boniface Hospital’s Buhler Gallery, where she worked as the director and curator, or at the University of Manitoba, where she chaired the board of governors. However, I am grateful for the fact that we became fast friends in the Senate of Canada and in airports — yes, airports.
Pat, you are a passionate, caring woman, an experienced historian, a relationship builder and a strong and inclusive voice for artists.
[English]
Thank you, Pat, for your contribution to the Senate of Canada.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I also rise today to pay tribute to our colleague, my friend from my wonderful province, the province of Manitoba, Senator Patricia Bovey.
Senator Bovey, as has already been mentioned, was the first art historian and museologist appointed to the Senate of Canada. I embarrassingly had to look up what a museologist is, but now I know. Her lens for art and culture made her a natural fit to become the chair of the Senate Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group. Senator Bovey had a personal goal of ensuring that the voices of art and culture be heard, and she has worked diligently towards that goal.
Senator Bovey, I believe everyone in this chamber will agree to at least one thing: The Senate has certainly become a more enjoyable and visual experience since your presence here. Your passion for art has not only made its way to the walls of our buildings or been featured on a Senate website but has also succeeded in creating an impact in our hearts and collective culture. Your passion and the many initiatives you have taken on to showcase Canadian galleries and museums, such as the museums at the Senate, will forever stay with us.
Senator Bovey — Pat — I will miss our discussions that we had at the Winnipeg airport and other places about a mutual passion that we have, and that is our grandchildren. So many times you have shared your experiences with your grandchildren overseas and I with my grandchildren here. Senator Bovey, I will miss having those chats. I will miss being on the airplane because many times we were on the same side of the aisle, and that was a pleasure.
On behalf of the Conservative caucus, I wish you a happy and fruitful retirement. I hope it is your greatest creation. Knowing you, I know it will be a beautiful work of art.
God bless you. Enjoy your retirement, and enjoy your grandchildren.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
[Translation]
Hon. Raymonde Saint-Germain: I rise today to pay tribute to an esteemed colleague and an inspiring woman with whom I’ve had the pleasure of serving since I arrived in the Senate. We were sworn in in this chamber just a few days apart, so this is a very special and personal moment for me.
[English]
I had the opportunity to get to know Senator Bovey in the three committees that we served on together: Transport and Communications, Foreign Affairs and Internal Economy, or CIBA. In all these instances, I was truly able to witness the excellence of Senator Bovey. At the CIBA Subcommittee on Human Resources particularly — and more recently — we tackled some delicate and important issues, and I can attest that no matter the subject or the situation at hand, she always acted with the respect and courtesy that characterize her so well. Patricia, I think I can speak for all the members of the subcommittee when I say your contribution and wisdom will be sorely missed.
I also have fond memories of working alongside you at the Foreign Affairs Committee, where you acted as the driving force during our extensive study of cultural diplomacy. We spoke to it yesterday, and I want to pay tribute to you on this as well. This important study is yet another example of the quality and vision of our studies here at the Senate and a feather in the committee’s cap. It positioned Canada’s culture on the international stage and gave guidelines in order to promote it and use it to our advantage.
As you said recently in reflecting on this Foreign Affairs Committee study:
Culture portrays who we are — our national values, roots and diversities. Conveying Canadian messages and realities abroad, culture tells others what Canada is, where we come from and our courage in where we’re going.
Senator Bovey, you can be proud of the role you played in conveying these messages. You truly are a great ambassador for Canada, our artists and, broadly, for our culture.
If I had to describe Senator Bovey in three words, I would use “artist” — the easy one — “manager” and “educator.” She is someone with a strong sense of good governance, vast knowledge and impeccable artistic taste, all of which has enriched the Senate of Canada. Notably, your numerous initiatives to promote Canadian artists in the Senate will be part of your long-lasting legacy.
As I have said before, Senator Bovey, with the commitment and enthusiasm you bring to the causes you believe in, you are truly inspiring. You will soon reach the age of mandatory senatorial retirement, but your character and dedication guarantees an active and busy time in your post-Senate life. I know you will continue to serve Canadians in a different manner.
In my name and in the name of all the members of the Independent Senators Group, I wish you, the Honourable Patricia Bovey, many happy and still active years to come.
Thank you.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
Hon. Dennis Glen Patterson: Honourable senators, I, too, rise to pay tribute to the first art historian to be appointed to the Senate of Canada. It’s never easy to take on the mantle as the first of anything. Senator Bovey has brought art into many aspects of the Senate, whether through her bill, An Act respecting the Declaration on the Essential Role of Artists and Creative Expression in Canada — which passed in the Senate — or in the art showings she has organized throughout the precinct. The Senate’s appreciation for art will forever be changed by her advocacy.
However, I got to know Senator Bovey on a different level when she was the deputy chair of the Special Committee on the Arctic, which I was privileged to chair. Through that committee, I got to see first-hand the passion that Senator Bovey has for Canada’s Arctic. I saw how eager she was to learn about the lived experiences of northerners and how hard she worked to help address the many issues facing the North.
At the time, there was only one senator appointed for the entire Arctic — our colleagues Senators Anderson and Duncan had yet to be appointed — so finding Senator Bovey, who was such a willing and capable ally, was a refreshing and major relief. We travelled together throughout the Arctic, and that brings with it a special bond.
Northern Lights: A wake-up call for the future of Canada was the report we produced, and it brought forward one key recommendation above all recommendations: that decisions about the North be for the North and by the North. This shows that passion I spoke of earlier. She joined me as we insisted that this recommendation be written several times throughout the report and that it be central to the media messaging.
We heard witnesses in Ottawa, and we travelled across the North. I remember flying all the way to Nain only to be fogged in at the last minute. We wrote the report in 18 short months, and may I add that we assembled our report at the same time as our government was working on its new Arctic policy framework to guide Arctic policy until 2030. Many respected observers noted that our report was a welcome — and dare I say even better — comprehensive, focused and forward-looking contribution to Arctic policy development.
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Senator Bovey, we will miss your calm, measured voice, your fierce advocacy and your friendship, and I know you will continue to be an eloquent advocate for the arts in everything you do. We look forward to hearing about your next chapter. You and I will keep in touch on a goal we share — progress on the creation of a Nunavut heritage centre. We’ll make sure you come back to Nunavut, where I know a big part of your heart is, but I am really happy you will now be able to enjoy extra time with your family and beloved grandchildren, whom I know you love so much. Qujannamiik. Thank you. Taima.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
Hon. Marty Klyne: Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to our remarkable colleague Senator Patricia Bovey. The extent of Senator Bovey’s passion for advancing the arts and advocating for social justice issues is matched only by her generous heart. Senator Bovey has devoted her life to championing the arts, having had a long career in the visual arts as a curator and director of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, a board member of the Canada Council for the Arts, art historian, professor, author and, for many years, a management consultant in the arts and not-for-profit sector.
Senator Bovey has been a dynamic presence in the Senate since her appointment in 2016. In addition to the arts, her work has included a focus on Canada’s Arctic, oceans and fisheries and Indigenous and foreign affairs. As acting Senate Speaker, she represented the Speaker at international meetings. As a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, she initiated the Cultural Diplomacy at the Front Stage of Canada’s Foreign Policy study. She also served as a deputy chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications and the Special Senate Committee on the Arctic. Fittingly, she chaired the Senate’s Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group, which installed the first works of Black Canadian artists in the Senate of Canada since 1867.
She served as an executive member of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology and as a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages and the Standing Senate Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament.
Senator Bovey sponsored bills to expand marine protected areas, establish a parliamentary visual artist laureate and highlight the essential role of artists. She has been a valuable and energetic member of the Progressive Senate Group since 2020, having served as a liaison.
I trust I speak for all of us, colleagues, when I say that Senator Bovey has been a beacon of inspiration for all those who have had the privilege of working with her. As she steps down from her position in the Senate, we can all take comfort in the knowledge that Senator Bovey’s legacy will endure, and we look forward to her continuing contributions to Canada.
Thank you. Hiy kitatamihin.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
Hon. Salma Ataullahjan: Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to my friend Senator Bovey.
I had the pleasure of getting to know Senator Bovey through the Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group. This working group has become a vibrant group under her leadership and is a testament to Senator Bovey’s commitment to the arts in Canada. This is quite a feat, as our meetings are sporadic and often fall during busy weeks, when we are all tired, stressed and struggling to find time to complete all of our work.
In spite of this, Senator Bovey chairs our meetings with energy and joy, enthusiastically sharing updates on upcoming art installations in the Senate, artists who have agreed to loan us their art and possible collaborations to showcase important issues that have been raised by fellow senators. Even the Senate building itself is a representation to her outstanding commitment and determination. Artworks by Canadian artists grace every possible nook and cranny, offering visibility for their work and often sparking discussions among senators, staff and guests. What I am trying to say is that Senator Bovey is the heart and soul of the Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group, and I will miss you greatly.
Senator Bovey, thank you for bringing Canadian artists and their work to the Senate of Canada. I wish you well as you retire and move on to new challenges.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
Hon. Nancy J. Hartling: Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to Senator Patricia Bovey as she retires. In November 2016, I had the great pleasure of first meeting her when we were sworn into the Red Chamber on the same day, along with Senators Woo, Boniface, Cormier and Pate. We were all new, finding our way together and creating an incredible bond.
Patricia and I were seatmates in the early days. She was the queen of the arts with a great, big heart and lots and lots of energy. She has an incredible sense of humour with a unique laugh, and I have seen her kindness to many in this place. As a senator, she has exceptionally served on many committees, acted as Speaker pro tempore, travelling and representing the Senate both nationally and internationally. She has raised the profile of arts and culture and their importance.
Today, many of us will tell you about her accomplishments in the Red Chamber, but I would also like to share a bit more about the Pat that I have come to know and some of the things that are unique to her character.
Pat was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, later moving to Ottawa. She is the middle child with two brothers. Her parents supported and encouraged her endeavours. She was an avid piano player, teaching lessons, and perhaps could have made it her vocation. She loved skating in the winter, and she still seems to be skating as she walks briskly with purpose in her high heels. She was in a band and played the steel drums. This might be something, Pat, you could do in retirement.
Pat studied at several universities in art history, music history, and her passion grew in the arts. She has published over a dozen books, including her latest one, Western Voices in Canadian Art.
Pat and her husband, John Bovey, settled in Victoria, B.C., raising their two daughters. Sadly, John Bovey passed away in 2005. She later married the Honourable John Harvard, and they had many happy years together until he too passed away, in 2016. Pat told me how lucky she was to have had two very special Johns in her life.
Her daughters and their families, including her four grandchildren, now live in London, England. She loves spending time with them. We are pleased that her family is here with us today.
Pat performed many important roles in her life, including curator, director of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, adjunct professor in art history, author and senator. Many of us call her our friend and colleague, but I want to share how her Senate staff member Christine Sentongo-Andersen described Senator Bovey:
She is a breath of fresh air who is extremely positive and always looking for a solution, rather than complaining about the current situation. It was like I had written down all the things I wanted in a Senator and the paper had flown up the chimney and she appeared floating down with an umbrella. She was like Mary Poppins while supporting me to realize my goals.
After she told me that, folks, this image has stuck in my head, and I see Pat with her umbrella, singing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious with joy and laughter.
Many of us acknowledge her as a hard-working and dedicated person with a passion for art and culture. She believes that art is a universal language and the arts certainly are a lever for social and cultural change. Art tells stories of the past, present and future through images, words, movement and music. Let’s honour Pat’s legacy by promoting her vision and dreams.
We will miss you, Pat, and we thank you for your incredible contribution, but I know that this isn’t the end of your story. There is a next chapter waiting to be written. Thank you.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
Hon. F. Gigi Osler: Honourable senators, I rise today to recognize the service of my colleague from Manitoba the Honourable Pat Bovey. Senator Bovey was one of the first people to reach out and welcome me to this chamber when my appointment was announced last year.
But, dear colleagues, while you may know her as a distinguished senator or author or art historian, I must inform you that there are some aspects of her life that have been omitted from her official biography, and I feel obliged to share them with you today.
For example, did you know that she is a marriage commissioner? In September 2020, it was the Honourable Pat Bovey who officiated the marriage between my aunt Sally Osler and her now-husband, Donald Benham. Furthermore, it was then that Senator Bovey revealed that were it not for a twist of fate, she could have been a star on the dance stage. In her speech at the wedding, Senator Bovey told us that her parents had been good friends with my aunt’s parents. Both mothers enrolled them in a ballroom dancing class with a teacher whom we will call Mrs. Wendt. Senator Bovey told the congregation:
The fall session was great. We had fun, sort of. I remember eating an awful lot of doughnuts. It was such a success that the parents decided in January there would be another term of ballroom dancing. Two weeks into the second session of these ballroom dancing lessons, Mrs. Wendt didn’t turn up. Mrs. Wendt went with all the money that our parents had paid for the second session.
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And so, Senator Bovey’s dance career went out the door with Mrs. Wendt, and we can only wonder what could have been.
Undeterred, she went on to become the director of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and then the director of the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
She has sat on more than a dozen boards, including the National Gallery of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts.
She chaired the University of Manitoba’s board of governors.
Since her Senate appointment in November 2016, she proposed two pieces of legislation, and initiated a dialogue on the value of Canadian art to society and culture.
She chaired the Senate’s Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group, and oversaw the installation of the Senate’s first art display to honour Black artists.
Despite the demands of her busy schedule, she wrote and published two books on Canadian artists — all while fitting in visits with her beloved children and grandchildren.
Senator Bovey may be retiring from this chamber today, but I know that she will continue to be a powerful force.
On behalf of the people of Manitoba, I thank Senator Bovey for her work and dedication.
Meegwetch.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard: Honourable senators, I must say that it is difficult to speak after these last two speeches, in particular; I know that we are near the end. It is actually with a heavy heart that I rise today to pay tribute to the Honourable Senator Bovey.
Senator Bovey and I were appointed to the Senate at the same time. All along, I have appreciated her unwavering support, her dedication to issues of equity and inclusion, her allyship and, most importantly, her friendship.
As grandmothers and seatmates, we have developed an even stronger bond, sharing stories and, yes, laughter. Her sense of humour is infectious. Her dedication to the arts and her leadership have brought more of an appreciation for diversity in art to this place. I have also learned much about the politics of the art world — and there she is laughing.
In honour of her retirement, I am going to recite a poem written by our mutual friend, the former parliamentary poet laureate George Elliott Clarke — Africadian artist extraordinaire. I pray I do justice to it:
A Portrait of Hon. Patricia Bovey, Senator
Senator Bovey is poised to retire
From this Red Chamber, site of les beaux-arts
Des débats. So, let Yousuf Karsh inspire
This sketch — the chiaroscuro of a star!
Her eye is keen — a Claire Weissman Wilks lens:
Perspective upon perspective aligns —
Accurate with what perception contends,
Spot on with what examination finds.
Like Emily Carr, she is totemic —
As blunt as black, as plain as white; and though
Never purple in sculpted polemic,
Always takes she first place: “The Best in Show.”
She scrutinizes every “masterpiece”
Of legislation; “takes the big picture”:
To tease technique from technicalities,
To tell cracks from fine lines and craquelure.
When the Honourable Senator leaves
This Chamber, practically her second home,
I will be just one of her peers who grieves,
Or faints, succumbing to Stendhal Syndrome —
Astonished by art without an equal,
Enthralled by an artist without sequel.
Senator Bovey, we wish you the very best as you move on to your next chapter.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
Hon. Mary Coyle: Honourable senators, I rise today to join my voice to the chorus of voices singing the praises, sharing the joy and selfishly lamenting the retirement of our beloved colleague, and my good friend, the Honourable — and unstoppable — Senator Patricia Bovey.
The first art historian and museologist to be appointed to the Senate of Canada, it should be no surprise that Senator Bovey articulated her goal in joining this august chamber in 2016:
. . . to ensure the voice of arts and culture is heard, in the Senate as well as in every sector of society.
[Translation]
Senator Bovey, your mission has been accomplished both in French and in English.
[English]
The voices of arts and culture, as well as the recognition of their significance, their impact and their potential, have permeated everything you undertook and achieved here in your deep, diverse and beautiful senatorial œuvre.
From your leadership work on the Arctic, cultural diplomacy, autonomous vehicles, Indigenous art, the parliamentary visual artist laureate, climate and our Senate collection and exhibits, you have opened us up to exactly what you said in your first speech delivered on December 6, 2016, in this chamber:
Artists from all cultures and from all over the world have given us an understanding of our past and our present through the three international languages of dance, music, and the visual arts. The visual arts are transformational and help us understand our local, regional and national communities. . . . they serve as bridges in our society.
You continued:
The arts are letting the world know who Canadians are, where we are and what we value . . . .
In your speech, you concluded:
The arts are not frills; they are the essence of who we are. We ignore their expressions at our peril.
Well, Senator Bovey, no matter where you were situated — whether it was with us in the Independent Senators Group, over in the Progressive Senate Group, sitting in the Speaker’s chair, around the committee table, travelling with the Arctic Committee, representing Canada abroad, attending COP 27 in Egypt with Senator Galvez and me, or back home in Manitoba — you always helped us appreciate the multi-faceted importance of the arts.
Senator Bovey — Patricia, Pat — as you leave us to pursue your next exciting chapter, and to enjoy time with your lovely daughters, your dear grandchildren, your brothers and your friends, I hope you know how much you are admired for all of your hard work — and how beloved you are as our dear friend and colleague.
Pat, just as art does, you have touched our hearts, our minds and our spirits. Go well, my friend. You will be sorely missed.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
Visitors in the Gallery
The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Alixe and Katherine Bovey, Senator Bovey’s daughters; her son-in-law Rory Dalziel; her brothers Ted and Bill Glover; and her sister-in-law Rubeth Glover. They are accompanied by other friends and family.
On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!
The Honourable Patricia Bovey
Expression of Thanks
Hon. Patricia Bovey: Honourable senators, I’m not sure I have any words. I don’t know how to say thank you. I am quite overwhelmed, colleagues, by your really thoughtful, personal and unique tributes. So thank you very much.
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I have to say, having my daughters and one of my sons-in-law here from the U.K.; my brothers, one from Florida and one from Winnipeg; a cousin from Connecticut; and friends from various spots, I have to say, having you with me today has made this even more special. Thank you all for coming.
[Translation]
Thank you all for your truly generous comments and those expressed by senators and the committee administration over the past few weeks.
I would also like to thank you for your support of my work over the past six and a half years.
[English]
It has been an immense honour to have served Manitobans and Canadians as a member of the Senate of Canada. The issues and ideas we have discussed and debated in this place have been rich. The experiences I have had across Canada and abroad have been truly memorable.
I want to welcome our new colleague Senator Petten. I wish you all the very best for your time in this place and I’m sure you will find it as enriching and interesting as I have.
[Translation]
I have often said that effective change is imperceptible in the moment. We can see the impact of such a change when we look back. Colleagues, that is certainly true for me as I look back on these six and a half years and reflect on the work of everyone here in the Senate, both the senators and the administration staff.
This place has progressed in every way, and from my perspective, the quality of the speeches is, in so many cases, inspiring. The independence of thought, the wide range of professional experiences embraced in this place and the varied perspectives certainly enrich our debates. I hear that from Canadians all across the country.
[English]
Speaker Furey, I owe you a very special thank you. Your guidance, wisdom, friendship and generosity will be sorely missed as you retire from this place. Personally, I thank you for the many doors you have opened for me; that of acting as Speaker in your absence in both this chamber and in Centre Block was a true honour, as was representing you internationally at the G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit in Argentina and the Canada-Mexico meetings where you trusted me to sign agreements on your behalf, as well as at the Halifax Canadian Presiding Officers’ Conference and, of course, travelling with you to Latvia and France. Thank you.
[Translation]
Senator Ringuette, thank you for the work you do as Speaker pro tempore and for the way that you do it.
[English]
Senator Harder was so welcoming when I first arrived and throughout my time here, especially as my Progressive Senate Group — PSG — colleague, and he has continued his wise counsel. I thank him.
Senator Gold, you and the Government Representative Office have also been pillars. Thank you for what you do.
Colleagues, at my peril, I want to thank three other people in particular who have helped me immeasurably at my outset in this chamber.
Senator Mockler, do you remember that breakfast we had in the Sheraton Hotel when I was a brand new senator and the railway in Churchill was flooded? You knew I was concerned as it rendered Manitoba’s Port of Churchill on Hudson Bay cut off from the South. You knew my desire to help in whatever way I could, and you told me how, because I didn’t have a clue. And you told me the opportunities we had as senators. Thanks to you, I launched that inquiry.
I am incredibly proud of the fix — the purchase of the railway by First Nations communities along the line and the way they have maintained it since, despite increasing challenges of melting permafrost. The trains do run. I can see them in the distance from my Winnipeg condo. The rail line is so vital as there is no road to Churchill.
Senator Cordy, you championed my quest at the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade to study cultural diplomacy, and we weren’t even in the same group then. I admit I was dogged, as I knew it was so important, but without your regular interjections, it would not have happened. So thank you, Jane. The resulting study, Cultural Diplomacy at the Front Stage of Canada’s Foreign Policy, as I said yesterday, has borne real fruit, but I believe it could bear much more fruit with formal endorsement.
I sincerely thank again the 2017-19 Foreign Affairs and International Trade Committee; its chair, Senator Andreychuk; and the staff and our clerk and analyst for their unanimous endorsement of this initiative and their active participation in that work, especially Senator Oh, Senator Ataullahjan, Senator Dean and Senator Massicotte. I thank today’s committee and chair, Senator Boehm, and deputy chair, Senator Harder, for including this goal in their current work.
As you have heard me say before, Canada does need to be understood internationally. Other parts of the world do need to know who we are, our values, roots, diversities and ethics, and that is done through cultural diplomacy. And the work of artists of all disciplines does tell the world who we are, where we come from and our courage in where we are going.
May Canada’s international profile be strengthened in the months to come. Incidentally, I can assure you, from my arts and Senate experiences over decades, the financial returns from government funding of cultural diplomacy will be far greater than the expenditures themselves, and the rewards in every dimension will be significant.
[Translation]
The third person I want to thank is former senator Dennis Dawson. While he was still on sick leave, I was told that I needed to talk to him about the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications, and that I would need his support to move the Portrait Gallery of Canada idea forward. To be perfectly honest, I was intimidated. I was familiar with his career and his connections. Despite feeling discouraged, I followed his advice, and he was very encouraging and interesting, as always.
To the Senate Administration staff, it was a real privilege to work with all of you. I admire the knowledge, professionalism and support of our capable Senate staff, including the clerks, the legal and finance personnel, the procurement, HR and communications staff, the researchers and analysts at the Library of Parliament, and the Senate archivist and her staff.
Thank you to everyone.
[English]
To the security personnel, words fail. You are everywhere. Always friendly, helpful, professional, whether posted indoors or out in the worst of weather, winter cold and snow, rain, sleet and summer heat. I thank you.
To our cleaners, building services, cafeteria staff, postal workers, translators, Hansard staff, printing and all those who make our meetings happen so smoothly, even when there are occasional hiccups, I applaud you.
And Black Rod, what can I say? You, too, are everywhere and have been so helpful for issues I have worked on in this chamber and in my own community. We may see each other at the end of July at Winnipeg’s World Police and Fire Games honouring our first responders, the second-largest games globally after the summer Olympics. As you are a former Manitoban, I hope yours and my paths may cross there.
To our pages, you are such inspiring young people — helpful, intelligent, gifted and dedicated. Thank you for all you do. I wish you all the very best as you pursue your ongoing education and careers. Please know how proud I am of every one of you. With people like you as our upcoming leaders, I have no fear for the future.
To my Progressive Senate Group colleagues and staff, words fail here too. That poem was amazing. This small but special and mighty group of senators has been so embracing of all my work. I thank each and every one of you for the depth of discussion and fun at our caucus meetings. Your candour and your embracing of the true meaning of the word “independent” is to be heralded. Thank you for your belief in me and for supporting me when I was a member of the PSG leadership.
And with all my heart to my staff, Archie Campbell, my Director of Parliamentary Affairs, and Christine Sentongo-Andersen, my Director of Issues Management, thank you. Archie and Christine have been at the core of all I have worked on since I came here, and any achievements I may have had are because of them.
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Archie and Christine, words really are inadequate to thank you for all you have done to make our work so much fun, substantive and so much more. You really do know how the Hill works. Your advice has been wise and helpful, as has your diligence in our endeavours. Thank you.
I will say this, though: You almost became Manitobans, but I know you didn’t embrace the minus 40 and worse degrees and the bracing winter winds. Colleagues, I now need to win a huge lottery so that I can continue to have Christine and Archie working with me.
To my provincial and regional compatriots, thank you for your belief in me and for your candour. It has been a privilege to work and serve Manitobans and bring your voices into our deliberations. I cherished my trip to northern Manitoba and the engagements I have had with citizens throughout the province. It was an honour to go out with the Bear Clan Patrol on a number of occasions as well. Their work in troubled communities in our city has made a really positive difference.
I also want to acknowledge the tremendous support and input I have had on many issues from Canadian artists, arts organizations, arts workers and audiences all across the country, including my work on the parliamentary visual artist laureate, cultural diplomacy, artists’ resale rights, art fraud, fraud and my declaration on the essential role of artists and creative expression in Canada. Those are only a few of the things I’ve heard about from our creative colleagues.
That last item, the declaration, may be stalled at the moment following the passing its sponsor in the other place, Jim Carr, but I know that its intent and provisions will rise to the fore, as the support and need for it everywhere in Canada is not only understood but critically embraced.
Remember that arts and cultural industries are Canada’s third-largest employer, with artists being the largest percentage of working poor living below the poverty line, and with artists with disabilities at the very bottom of that ladder. Together, all parts of society need to address that dichotomy and recognize the constructive role the arts play in every aspect of contemporary life.
When I was called to be in the Senate, the Prime Minister said I was to be independent. I have been. He said I was to work on everything. I have. That includes our report on autonomous vehicles, Driving Change: Technology and the future of the automated vehicle, a study I found fascinating and one I wholly embraced, although at the outset I thought, “What am I doing this for? I don’t have a clue.” We learn fast in this place.
Sponsoring Bill C-55, the so-called Oceans Protection Act, and being part of the first steps of protecting Canada’s oceans, increasing its protected areas from 7% to 20% was important. I support moving that target to 30%.
Being a member of the National Finance Committee was very informative, as were all the truly important societal issues before the Social Affairs, Science and Technology Committee. I thank the three chairs I worked with in that committee: Senators Eggleton, Petitclerc and now Omidvar. The Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration and its Subcommittees on Human Resources, Diversity, Senate Estimates and Committee Budgets and, for a short time, Long Term Vision and Plan gave me real insights into the internal workings of the Senate.
Of course, dear to my heart was the Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group, which I had the honour of chairing and about which I will say more in a minute.
The work of the Special Committee on the Arctic, chaired by Senator Dennis Glen Patterson — it was an honour to be your deputy chair, senator — was transformational. As you know, the North has been key in my pre-Senate and Senate work, both on committees and individually. I think our report Northern Lights: A Wake-Up Call for the Future of Canada was a seminal piece of work that has laid the groundwork for the future.
My subsequent trips to Cape Dorset, Yellowknife and Gjoa Haven were memorable, and each underlined for me the challenges we all face regarding the North. Issues of climate change in our North are particularly alarming and critical, with the projections that the melt of sea ice will see 40 communities submerged, like ancient Alexandria but for different reasons.
COP 27 in Sharm el-Sheikh last November was a major step in including the creative sector in the final cover discussion paper for the first time at any COP. I thank my colleagues, our Indigenous folks who were there pushing for that and I thank Minister Guilbeault for his push for that recognition. I sincerely hope that our creative sector will be at the table looking for solutions going forward.
My engagement and work on climate change with the international creative community are ongoing and will continue, Senator Coyle. You might hear from me.
[Translation]
As we all know, our role is to represent Canadians when we study, amend and adopt bills and we develop bills of public interest for the Senate. We all take our work very seriously.
[English]
In appointing me, the Prime Minister also made it clear that in addition to being independent and working on everything, I was to do all that through the lens of arts and culture. I think you know I did that — or at least tried to do that — to the best of my ability. As you’ve heard, I came here as the Senate’s first art historian and museologist, and I have to say it was daunting at the outset. I know some eyebrows were raised.
I thank you all for your openness to that creative world and how colleagues from all groups in this chamber have embraced those important issues. I am proud to have represented Canadian artists, arts workers and audiences, and thank the more than 600 across the country who were part of my consultations for my declaration on the essential role of artists and creative expression in Canada. As I said, I know that one day those realities and the essence of the declaration will be recognized.
The supportive and encouraging calls, emails, texts and notes I receive from the creative community across this country are amazing. The arts are core to every aspect of society — the economy; jobs; health; education; climate change, environmental awareness and solutions; tourism; crime prevention; and rural revival — the eight tentacles of the octopus I speak of so often. I do sincerely appreciate the support from you all in that work.
I also thank you for your encouragement and support of our in‑Senate arts and heritage work, from developing our policy for Senate arts and heritage, to our Honouring Canada’s Black Artists program. Yisa Akinbolaji is in the gallery today. He was one of the first artists in that first installation.
I also thank you for your support for Visual Voices, Galleries and Museums in the Senate, Cultivating Perspectives and the work we did to set a future for proper representation of Indigenous nations in our Indigenous Peoples Room. Indeed, I hand-carried two donations back from Manitoba for the Senate the other day by the Indigenous artist Elvis Antoine.
If only transport costs had not risen as they have and remained as projected, we would have been further along with the next iteration of Honouring Canada’s Black Artists from Nova Scotia and Quebec and with the Visual Voices, next time heralding the work of the Human Rights Committee on Islamophobia. After that, it would be celebrating artists with disabilities. But thanks to the Internal Economy Committee, that is now moving again. I have three more days to take it the next steps. So stay tuned for the ongoing work of the committee.
Senator Furey, I thank you again for your encouraging insights and support of this internal Senate work.
All that to say I am delighted with the steps that the Senate and every group in this chamber have taken in reflecting the voices of artists across the country and their insights into our past and present, with the portraits of our Speakers, aspects of our landscape and their calls for action on critical issues today.
Colleagues, the Senate also presents us with out-of-the-box situations, such as that passed on to me by Senator Greene Raine: lighthouses. Enjoying kayaking, I kayaked out to the Trial Islands Lighthouse off McNeil Bay. Fortunately, I went with truly experienced kayaking friends, as winds and heavy tides came up on our return trip. We had to lash our kayaks together. It was a dramatic afternoon. How lucky I was that I was with pros, as the situation was far beyond my kayak competency level.
Then there was my visit to Sheringham Point Lighthouse while it was under renovation. I climbed it and went out onto the ledge to see the recording equipment for the work the lighthouse was doing for Oceans Canada. They were monitoring the whales that were in some trouble in the straits that summer. I didn’t realize the questionable stability of the railings until I had to come in off that ledge and look down at the rocks below. I can honestly commit to my family, as they sit in this chamber, with all of you as witnesses: I won’t do that again unless I know the railings are solid and safe.
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Now to look forward and build on the foundations we have achieved together these past few years. On April 11, I hosted an overflow crowd of about 130 at my Winnipeg open arts forum to let the community know the status of my Senate work and initiatives as I age on from this august chamber. I wanted to share how they might work more effectively with members of both houses, and let them tell me their ongoing needs and concerns. I thank Senator Cardozo for accepting my invitation to Winnipeg for that session, and I thank Senator Osler for attending as well. I know the community felt heard by the Senate that day.
At that session, artists’ resale rights came up, as did the need to mitigate the fraud and fake issues now so prominently at the fore. I will continue to work on those complex fraud issues. Attendees raised questions about artists’ estates and the taxation on the art remaining in their studios on their passing, an issue that is being addressed now by Canadian Artists’ Representation/Le Front des artistes canadiens, or CARFAC. Fraud and copyright is a complex issue deserving attention going forward. Another issue raised was around public art and the need for consistency in processes and finances of competitions. While many art competitions are municipal and provincial, there are important federal public art competitions, such as the recent one for the national monument for the 2LGBTQI+ competition won by a Winnipeg team, and I believe another has been committed to honour paramedics.
Honourable senators, I have learned from my lifelong experience that the circles we live become ever more apparent as we age, as do the connecting ribbons across Canada. This building epitomizes those ribbons of history in many dimensions. We sit exactly where the platforms for the old Ottawa train station once were. These rails — ribbons of steel — have connected east and west for almost a century and a half, just as this building did in its next life as a government conference centre and now again as the Senate of Canada. Our debates, discussions, Senate studies and witness testimonies from across Canada further those critically important national links.
My personal circle in this building includes two of its histories. We, as a family, moved to Ottawa when I was in my mid-teens, arriving by train right here, perhaps even alighting forth from the train at the spot where my desk is now. Our tours during the construction and transformation of this building were remarkable, and I thank Senator Tannas. Our foyer is the old waiting room. The murals depict the country through which both the tracks and our legislation travel. It is interesting to remember that radio in Canada started on the railway, and just several weeks ago, we hotly debated Bill C-11, the revisions to the Broadcasting Act. Circles continue.
My last day physically in this chamber is tomorrow, May 11, and I can’t leave without squaring another circle — my professional one. My first day as a curator in the Winnipeg Art Gallery was also a May 11, in 1970. Housed then in Winnipeg’s Civic Auditorium, my first task was to take down all the exhibitions. A wrestling match was to be on stage that night, and the gallery’s director was concerned about crowd rowdiness. The wrestler was Jesse Ventura. He returned to the gallery about 30 years later as Minnesota’s governor; I had returned to the Winnipeg Art Gallery as director, and had just negotiated a memorandum of understanding with the Minneapolis Institute of Art to enable the sharing of collections and exhibitions. That is cultural diplomacy in action.
[Translation]
I am proud of the Senate’s role and its international efforts through various parliamentary associations, especially the unanimous motion we got passed by all 780 international parliamentary delegates at the Organization for Security and Co‑operation in Europe, or OSCE, in Birmingham last summer.
I would like to highlight the need to protect the security of the Arctic. In this area, and with the help of international parliamentary associations where I served and with which I travelled, I can say that we have rich opportunities, as senators, to make our world a better place through better understanding.
[English]
I have learned so much from programs in other countries, which — if repurposed for Canada — could have the ability to make a positive mark here, such as the U.K. social prescribing program. In it, people in psychological, health or financial need engage with others in public activities like garden plots, the arts and other community endeavours. As I have mentioned in this chamber before, the program of Montreal’s doctors in prescribing visits to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is one to emulate in other parts of the country. I thank Senator Mégie as one of those Montreal doctors for her work on that impressive initiative.
Honourable senators, the circles and lives we weave are indeed the platforms and foundations of our futures — personally, professionally and for our communities and country. I am only sorry that almost one third of my time as a senator was while COVID-19 raged. While it meant the chamber experience was online, it also created opportunity for a number of very informal, effective working groups involving people from every Senate group on a number of issues, including one on the Arctic and another on the arts.
[Translation]
Unfortunately, COVID took the life of one of our colleagues, Senator Forest-Niesing. I am pleased that, in her honour, we were able to exhibit the ribbon skirt that she designed and that was made by her mother. Those sorts of connections are very important.
[English]
I know that the friendships and collegial relationships that I have had the privilege of developing in this place will continue. Again, I thank you for all your tributes this afternoon, they mean so much. With all my heart, I wish you all the very best going forward in continuing your work of representing your regions and your specific sectors. As my late husband said, “We are all better off when we are all better off.” I know you will work to make our country better off. As I leave this place, I will try to do the same, as my involvement in many of the issues on which I have worked on in this chamber will continue. I will never forget the honour it is to have had the opportunity and responsibility to serve Canadians through the Senate. What a privilege.
Thank you all, but also thanks to my colleagues who were sworn in on the same day I was: Senator Cormier, Senator Hartling, Senator Boniface, Senator Pate and Senator Woo. We had a special group.
Your Honour, as you and I age on in this place — I don’t want the word “retirement” or “age out,” so I decided I’m aging on and I hope that’s what you’re doing — to start new chapters at the same time, I thank you again, and I wish you a very happy birthday and all the best in your next chapter. I do count you as an honorary Manitoban, but I haven’t tested you at minus 40 yet.
Thank you all, and I thank my family again for your support and patience during these past years. Our miles may be many, but our hearts are close. I appreciate your support very much.
[Translation]
Thank you again to all my colleagues, to all the Senate staff and to all senators. Thank you, everyone.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!
Visitors in the Gallery
The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Earth Keepers from various First Nations communities in Quebec, as well as a professor from the Earth Keepers program at Laval University. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Audette.
On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!
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[English]
The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of my son David and his friend Kerri Pittman, and my brother-in-law Gary O’Keefe and his son Brendan O’Keefe.
On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!
ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS
Adjournment
Notice of Motion
Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:
That, when the Senate next adjourns after the adoption of this motion, it do stand adjourned until Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at 2 p.m.
The Honourable Patricia Bovey
Notice of Inquiry
Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, I give notice that, two days hence:
I will call the attention of the Senate to the career of the Honourable Patricia Bovey.
QUESTION PERIOD
Public Safety
Foreign Interference
Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): My question is for the Liberal Government Leader in the Senate, and it again concerns Beijing’s interference in our country.
Senator Gold, I want to return to your answers yesterday to Senator Batters. You seemed to indicate that the questions we were asking were on our behalf. I will remind you, Senator Gold, once again, that the official opposition is doing their job by raising these matters. These questions are not for us. They are for Canadians — all Canadians — who send hard-earned tax dollars to Ottawa and expect each one of us and this government to do our and their jobs. Twice yesterday, you seemed to cast doubt on the July 2021 intelligence assessment leak to The Globe and Mail because it wasn’t “nuanced,” as you claimed.
Leader, last Tuesday, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, or CSIS, told Michael Chong that a People’s Republic of China diplomat in Toronto targeted him and his family. Your government kicked this diplomat out eventually. Last Thursday, the national security adviser told Mr. Chong this assessment went to multiple departments, including the Privy Council Office. What more confirmation do you need, leader?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Well, I’m not sure what the honourable senator is asking me to confirm, but I will confirm what the Prime Minister said, which I’ve repeated on so many occasions. He became aware of this first from The Globe and Mail, and action was taken to expel the diplomat. That was done, having taken the appropriate time to consult and make sure that Canada was prepared for whatever implications or ramifications came.
For the record, colleague, I have never suggested that questions of this nature are not important or of interest to Canadians, to parliamentarians and indeed to the government. I have on many occasions — today is not one of them — pointed out, however, that innuendos, insinuations and assertions that are not based in fact to say nothing of imputations of lack of integrity, do a disservice both to this chamber and to the institutions that our Constitution has put in place for all of our benefit and that we are sworn and summoned to uphold.
Senator Plett: In fact, leader, yesterday, you said these questions were for our purposes. We can check Hansard on that, leader.
Last month, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, Katie Telford, told a committee of the other place, “. . . nothing is ever kept from the Prime Minister, certainly not by me.”
Yet no one in the Trudeau government can admit they saw an intelligence assessment from CSIS two years ago regarding Beijing’s threat against a member of Parliament and his family.
Again, I have a written question on the Senate Order Paper asking how the Trudeau government handles classified or protected documents. It has remained on the Order Paper, unanswered, since September of 2020 — well over two and a half years.
I would suggest, leader, you have a large enough budget that you could have somebody get us these answers. The reason I haven’t received an answer to my question seems pretty obvious. Does the Trudeau government have a management system for sensitive documents? If so, why can’t it figure out who saw this CSIS report in July of 2021?
Senator Gold: Again, your question about what was seen two years ago has been answered time and time again. You continue to reject the answer that both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs have made. I have nothing to add except to repeat what the Prime Minister said: He received the information, but became aware of it only when it appeared in The Globe and Mail.
[Translation]
Privy Council Office
Governor-in-Council Appointments
Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Senator Gold, you are no doubt aware of the very public statement made by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Richard Wagner, in a CBC article. In this article, Justice Wagner points to a “shortage of judges” and warns that the “current situation is untenable.”
His statement is directly aimed at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In fact, Justice Wagner stated, “The government’s inertia regarding vacancies and the absence of satisfactory explanations for these delays are disconcerting”.
In 2015, when the Liberals took office, there were approximately 45 vacancies in the federal courts. In 2019, there were 60. In 2023, there are 85 positions vacant.
Minister Lametti said in the Senate that he had a plan, but his plan seems to have failed.
How does the Trudeau government explain that failure?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question.
It is an important question. It is true that there are vacancies. We cannot deny the numbers, but with all due respect, honourable colleague, it is not a failure.
Since November 2015, the government has appointed more than 600 judges, and it has created a significant number of judicial positions in order to help the courts manage their workload. A process is in place. The criteria are clear. The government and the Minister of Justice are working hard to fill the positions to effectively support our justice system.
Senator Boisvenu: Senator Gold, filling 600 vacancies is perfectly normal. I should hope you’ve filled some vacancies.
The absence rate for judges in courthouses in Canada is currently 15% because of vacancies.
Again, it is rare for a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to make a public and political statement. I will again quote Chief Justice Wagner, as follows:
Despite their best efforts, stays of proceedings are pronounced against individuals accused of serious crimes, such as sexual assault or murder, because of delays that are due, in part or in whole, to a shortage of judges.
Senator Gold, you must see that your arguments do not hold up. This is a failure of justice.
My question is pretty simple. As Chief Justice Wagner asks in this article, will the Prime Minister give this issue the importance it deserves rather than constantly travelling abroad?
Senator Gold: Thank you for the question.
The government’s position, which I’m sure you share, is that it’s very important to have sufficient judges in place to meet the needs of the system, regardless of the nature of the cases before the courts.
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The government is working hard. Filling vacancies is a priority. I have been advised that the minister has spoken with members of the judiciary and the bar to encourage more people to apply, to ensure that the pool of candidates can adequately meet the justice system’s needs. I have also been told that the government continues to make appointments at a steady pace and that the number of vacancies will continue to decline.
[English]
Public Safety
Digital Privacy
Hon. Paula Simons: My question is for the Government Representative.
The United States and the United Kingdom are both working on laws that could have a serious impact on end-to-end encryption online. While I understand the appeal of breaking encryption as a way to fight crime or root out terrorism, end-to-end encryption can also be a way to protect our most private conversations, including conversations about health care and abortion.
Indeed, a growing academic consensus, led by cybersecurity scholars such as Stanford’s Riana Pfefferkorn, argues that data protection and privacy are essential to safely accessing reproductive health care in our digital age.
My question to the Government Representative is this: With Canada’s own online harms bill in the offing, will the government commit to strong protection for end-to-end encryption to help protect Canadians’ privacy and health information?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question.
The protection of privacy and Canadians’ data is fundamental. Laws are in place and further laws that will address this subject are forthcoming. Indeed, Bill C-27, which is in the other place, introduces more robust measures around areas including privacy, which I would underline.
With regard to the specific question about end-to-end encryption, I’m not in a position to commit the government. I will certainly make inquiries to see what the status is of the deliberations on that particular issue.
Health
Palliative Care
Hon. Marty Deacon: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.
Senator Gold, this week is National Hospice Palliative Care Week. New data released from the Canadian Institute for Health Information showed that nearly 200,000 Canadians receive palliative care annually. Sadly, we do not know what qualifies as palliative care as there are no real standards in place. In December 2018, the federal government tabled a Framework on Palliative Care in Canada to work toward clarity in this regard. Recently, Senator Black, Senator Boehm and I spent time with leaders in the Waterloo region to further discuss this framework. The framework requires the federal government to report on the state of palliative care in Canada within five years of its release, meaning that the report is due by the end of 2023.
My question is: Is the government committed to this mandated review to better ensure that Canadians across the country can have access to equal and appropriate palliative care services? If so, when will we see this review?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you very much for the question. It’s an important one.
I can’t answer the specific question you asked at the end but I will underline that it is the position of this government that Canadians experiencing serious illness or facing end of life deserve to receive care in the setting of their choice in comfort and dignity.
In that regard, the federal government has collaborated with provinces, territories, health care providers and stakeholders to develop the framework and to implement an action plan on palliative care, and this has carried with it, as you would know, serious investments: $24 million from 2019 to 2021 and $29.8 million from 2021 to 2027. This complements the federal support that exceeds $8 billion over 10 years to provinces and territories for home and community care, including palliative care.
You referred to the framework. The Action Plan on Palliative Care lays out the multi-year plan of Health Canada to tackle the issues identified in the framework. This is also part of the ongoing investments Health Canada has made, including during the pandemic, to fund some of these initiatives. The government will continue to work in this area with provinces, territories and health care providers to provide and to improve access to home, community and palliative care. With regard to the specific dates, I will have to make inquiries.
Senator M. Deacon: Thank you for that. I hope and look forward to the Senate knowing the specifics of when this review unfolds so we can be accountable at the table in conversations with our various communities.
Transport and Communications
Business of the Committee
Hon. Dennis Glen Patterson: My question is for the Chair of the Transport and Communications Committee.
Senator Housakos, your committee has previously looked at the air passenger bill of rights and I know that you’re looking at amendments to that bill of rights, I believe, as part of your pre‑study of the budget implementation act. We have a serious issue that has arisen in the North that I want to ask you about. In essence, two weeks ago, the Minister of Transport agreed to changes to the Canadian North-First Air merger conditions that enable them to, among other things, raise passenger and cargo prices by 25% per year and cut service down on some routes to once per week. Will the study that your committee is conducting look at the northern experience and consider whether these changes are considered in line with the underlying of principles of the bill of rights?
Hon. Leo Housakos: Thank you, Senator Patterson, for the question and for your ongoing interest, of course, and concern for the northern part of our country and the rural part of our country.
We have not yet begun the study on passenger rights legislation which, of course, is in the omnibus bill before the chamber. We have scheduled a couple of meetings. We have already invited officials from the department, we have invited the minister, as well as a former executive from the airline industry and an advocate for passenger rights.
You are right. Our committee did look into this issue a few months ago. As we all know, one of the many things broken in this country is our air industry and our aviation industry. It is a complete mess. We also know the government took a shot at passenger rights legislation. It has failed and that’s why we brought the minister before our committee.
We also made it clear to the minister that we didn’t want to be found in a situation where the Senate receives a bill right before the summer and are forced to do a perfunctory study on this important issue facing Canadians. Of course, we find ourselves exactly in that dilemma. We received it in an omnibus bill and have limited time to study it. We also have in the queue Bill C-18, for which there’s a magical deadline that the government has imposed on our committee, which also has limited our capacity to give the attention that passenger rights deserve and particularly the effect it has on northern regions of the country.
Senator D. Patterson: Thank you for that helpful answer, Senator Housakos.
I know I don’t need to overemphasize to you the complete reliance on air travel by communities in my region, where there are no roads or rails or other transportation options for our 25 communities.
I would like to ask you if you would consider hearing from northern voices on this important issue. I’m pleased to hear you have the Minister of Transport invited. He’s the one who made these shocking changes without much or any consultation. I am wondering if you would also consider hearing from Nunavut communities or even First Air and Canadian North when you do this study.
Senator Housakos: I do take the recommendations very seriously, senator. I wholeheartedly agree that it is an essential element that needs to be looked at carefully. We need to study this in a very robust manner so that we don’t fail a second time when it comes to implementing this legislation, and I do agree that the more you hear from stakeholders the more likely we are to get it right. I will take it to our steering committee and I will take your recommendations; feel free to email me with specific witnesses and ask our steering committee to acquiesce to this demand. I think there is enough time and a willingness to be able to study Bill C-18 and simultaneously look at this important issue before we rise.
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Senator D. Patterson: Thank you.
Indigenous Services
Support for Indigenous Children
Hon. Marty Klyne: Senator Gold, as you know, Jordan’s Principle requires governments to ensure that First Nations children can, without discrimination or hesitancy, be on the same level as other Canadians and access the same products, services and supports they need when they need them. The aim is to meet the needs of First Nations children, regardless of whether it is for speech therapy, educational support, medical equipment, mental health service and many more. The aim is to meet the needs of these children regardless of their position or the region in which they live.
Although the federal government has made important improvements in the last 15 years, First Nations children continue to experience gaps, delays and denials. According to Indigenous Services Canada, denial rates on applications for funding and service access for First Nations children varied drastically across the country during the pandemic. In 2021, the government denied just over 70% of all group requests from British Columbia, along with nearly 55% from Alberta. In Manitoba and Quebec, meanwhile, it denied only about 5%.
What is the government doing to ensure Jordan’s Principle is upheld across Canada, regardless of regional differences?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. Congratulations to you and our colleagues for a wonderful event this morning on Bear Witness Day, which I was privileged to attend.
This is an important issue. Government has, as you underlined, made enormous efforts in this area, and that includes giving First Nations communities control over the provision of these services.
That said, the statistics to which you referred are preoccupying. I will have to make some inquiries, and I will certainly report back as soon as I can.
Senator Klyne: I look forward to the additional information.
Finance
Canada Emergency Business Account
Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Leader, my question is a follow-up to one I asked you in March regarding the secret outsourcing of the Canada Emergency Business Account, or CEBA, loans program to the consulting firm Accenture. When I originally asked you about this matter, it was believed that the Trudeau government paid Accenture $61 million to run the CEBA program. However, since then, further documents revealed to The Globe and Mail through an access to information request show that the amount paid was at least $146 million. The fact that the Trudeau government never disclosed these contracts tells Canadians everything they need to know about this government’s total lack of respect for their tax dollars.
Leader, you previously said that outside sources were used to provide benefits. With respect, that response did not answer my question. Why was the outsourcing of this program hidden from Canadians?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. I am not in a position to agree that it was hidden. I will have to look into the nature of those contracts. I am sorry you have not received an answer yet, but I will certainly do my best to get a better one for you.
Senator Martin: According to the documents released through the access to information request, Accenture built the CEBA website, ran the call centre and supported the day-to-day operations, and it is currently building the loans-collection infrastructure. However, over the course of this program, multiple government press releases stated that “CEBA is administered by Export Development Canada.”
Who made the decision to keep these contracts hidden? In addition to that inquiry, can you tell us whether $146 million is the total amount given to Accenture? If not, what is the actual total amount?
Senator Gold: I will certainly add those to my inquiries. Thank you.
Public Services and Procurement
Harrington Lake Residence
Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Liberal leader, my next question concerns Harrington Lake, the official retreat of the Prime Minister and your colleague. Harrington Lake has been in the news recently for costing taxpayers approximately $20,000 a month in upkeep.
Written Question No. 47 on the Senate’s Order Paper asks for information regarding the cost and timeline for renovations to the residences at Harrington Lake. It has been on the Order Paper since June 16, 2020 — approaching three years, leader. A month before I submitted my question, a similar question was put on the House of Commons Order Paper, and it was answered in July of 2020.
Leader, there is only one main difference between the House question and mine. I asked if the Prime Minister, his office or the Privy Council Office was involved in the decision to move and rebuild a residence called the farmhouse. Why doesn’t the Trudeau government want to answer this question?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): I actually don’t have the answer to your question, but I’m glad that at least some of the questions you asked here have been answered in the House of Commons. I invite you to share those answers with us for the benefit of all the senators present.
Senator Plett: I’m not sure how to respond to that. It’s my job to ask questions, not to answer questions. It is your job to answer questions. You are asking me to answer a question for you about what happened in the House of Commons. Senator Gold, at least look at your job description. Did you get a mandate letter? At least look at it. It is your job to find me an answer, not to tell me to go to the House of Commons to get one. It’s your job to get me an answer right here, Senator Gold.
In the spring of 2020, legitimate questions were asked about the costs and the reasons for moving, rebuilding and expanding a residence called the farmhouse at Harrington Lake. First, the Trudeau government denied it, and then they ridiculed — as they so commonly do — anyone who dared ask a question.
The Trudeau government has failed for almost three years to answer my question, and you are suggesting that I go and get the answer myself. They failed to answer whether the Prime Minister or his staff were involved in this decision. Canadian taxpayers can judge for themselves whether three years of silence is, in fact, a confirmation.
Leader, why should Canadians ever believe a single word the Prime Minister has to say about transparency and accountability?
Senator Gold: Canadians, I think, will judge as they judge. However, I didn’t tell you, and I thought that you would have taken my response in the spirit in which it was offered. I simply said that you obviously have an answer, and I was inviting you to share it.
The Prime Minister and this government are serving this country well. In that regard, questions about his residency, 24 Sussex and Harrington Lake, relevant though they may be, are not ones that I am in a position to answer at this juncture. I’m sorry.
Crown-Indigenous Relations
Safety of Indigenous Women and Girls
Hon. Marilou McPhedran: This is a question to Senator Gold, please. It relates to announcements made recently about funding to deal with violence against Indigenous women and children.
The recent budget contained many ambitious promises, which are nice. However, implementation is what counts, and on this count the government track record is less than stellar. For example, this week, Ministers Miller and Hussen announced $103 million in funding for Indigenous women’s shelters. It is much needed, for sure, but this isn’t new money. It comes out of a $724‑million commitment previously made by the government in 2020, aimed at supporting Indigenous women and children facing gender-based violence. More than two and a half years later, it is reported that less than 5% of the original promised funds have been spent, without a single new shelter or house to show for it so far.
The need is acute. The danger is real. Indigenous women 15 years and older are 3.5 times more likely to experience violence than non-Indigenous women.
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Perhaps the ministers should more properly announce, “We don’t have any new money, but we are finally going to start investing the money we already promised years ago.”
As our colleague Senator Audette stated in response, it is an ongoing search for justice. At the current pace, it will take decades to implement this violence-prevention strategy.
Senator Gold, will this glacial pace continue? When will we see accelerated spending to implement promises made years ago to increase the safety of Indigenous women and children?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question and for raising and underlining the importance of this issue. I don’t have the information as to why the spending to date has been as you have described it, and I won’t make assumptions as to the reasons. I will make inquiries so that I can give a proper response when I get an answer.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act
Income Tax Act
Bill to Amend—Third Reading
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate) moved third reading of Bill C-46, An Act to amend the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act and the Income Tax Act.
Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I rise today to speak as the critic of Bill C-46.
In my second reading speech, I noted the following about this bill:
One: This is the government’s third attempt to provide Canadians with some relief from the cost of living.
Two: On their third try, the best they could do was a cookie-cutter approach with this bill, using a simple cut-and-paste from Bill C-30 and Bill C-19.
Three: The two previous attempts failed to reduce Canadians’ cost of living, and this one will fail as well.
Four: This government repeatedly slaps legislation together with no clearly articulated plan and no discernable strategy.
Five: This government demonstrates no understanding of how they have contributed to the cost-of-living crisis Canadians find themselves in today.
Six: This government repeatedly exhibits incompetence on a level which should alarm us all.
Colleagues, I would note that Finance Committee made no amendments to this bill and therefore all of my concerns stand. Despite the government’s enthusiastic announcements and self-congratulatory messaging, the measures taken in this bill continue to be far less effective than what the government portrays them to be.
I am not going to revisit in detail all of the points I have previously made. However, I would like to drill down further on at least one of them, and that is the absurdity of using the GST rebate system to provide a cost-of-living relief payment.
In my second reading speech, I noted that while this payment makes sense as a GST rebate, it is the wrong tool for getting money into the hands of those who need it most. The government loves to brag that they can get money out the door quickly by using this method, but what they do not bother to explain is who the money is actually going to.
This is where the problems begin: We don’t have a detailed breakdown of where this money is going. That’s why the government always says that the cheques are going to benefit “. . . approximately 11 million low- and modest-income Canadians and families across the country.” Even they don’t have an actual number.
The latest source of detailed information we have available is found in the 2020-21 Canada Revenue Agency statistics on the GST/HST credit benefit. These tables are available online and break down the benefit for that year by gender, by family income, by marital status, by the number of dependent children and by province. Based on this information, we can see roughly where the money for the so-called grocery rebate is going to go.
Colleagues, you would think that if the government is going to push $2.5 billion out the door to provide cost-of-living relief it would be directed to end up with those who need it most. It is not. Let me give you a few examples.
As has been mentioned a number of times both in this chamber and in the National Finance Committee, this money will only be disbursed to Canadians who file an income tax return. If you do not file a tax return, you are not eligible to be considered for the benefit at all.
An Hon. Senator: Hear, hear.
Senator Plett: At the National Finance Committee on Tuesday, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Associate Minister of Finance, spoke disparagingly of these individuals, saying that non-filers were people who were “hiding from the tax system.”
An Hon. Senator: Shame.
Senator Plett: Shame is right. This is so far from the truth it would be laughable if it were not so condescending and belittling —
Senator Batters: Elitist.
Senator Plett: — and so Liberal. The 2020 report co-authored by Jennifer Robson from Carleton University estimated that 10% to 12% of Canadians don’t file their taxes. And although there are non-filers across all income groups, they are most heavily concentrated in lower income brackets.
In a recent letter to the Minister of Finance, Stephen Buffalo, President and CEO of the Indian Resource Council, noted that non-filers include the majority of First Nations people. I quote:
The majority of people living on reserve do not file returns because they are exempt from paying income taxes. Most First Nations people living off reserve are low-income who do not file a tax return either. . . . These facts are not in dispute.
Associate Minister Boissonnault’s depiction of non-filers is despicable. It shows how out of touch this government is with reality. Because make no mistake about it colleagues — this benefit will not provide a single cent to those who need it most.
Going back to Ms. Robson’s report, 10% to 12% of Canadians, the majority of whom are in lower income brackets, are by design being entirely left out of this benefit. It is a cost-of-living relief bill that provides no relief from the cost of living for the most vulnerable — zero.
Regrettably, colleagues, there is nothing that we in this chamber can do about that. We cannot initiate money bills, so we are stuck with approving, amending or defeating the junk legislation that this government sends over here. Yet, the government consistently pressures us to rush deficient bills through, and if we do not move quickly enough, they have now decided to use the hammer of time allocation because that is easier than having a conversation, apparently.
Senator Batters: Or answering questions.
Senator Plett: We know that the most vulnerable will not receive anything under this bill. So who will receive a payment? Well, that is also a bit of a mess, but let me try and break it down for you.
The so-called grocery rebate is going to send payments to about 11 million people, 44% of whom make less than $20,000 a year. They are the ones who need the help the most and yet those 44% will only receive 32% of the money. Compare that with the 40% of recipients who have a net income of between $20,000 and $40,000 a year. This cohort will receive 48% of the money.
So rather than sending more money to those who are earning less, this bill does the exact opposite. Here are the numbers: On average, those who earn between $30,000 to $35,000 will receive $263. Some will receive more and some less, but on average, the government is claiming to bring them cost of living relief with a cheque of $263.
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Those in the next lower bracket who earn between $25,000 and $30,000 a year will receive an average of only $258. Although they earn less, this program will provide them with less relief.
That trend continues. Those in the $20,000 to $25,000 bracket will receive an average of $245. For the $15,000 to $20,000 bracket, the average is $244. The $10,000 to $15,000 bracket will receive an average of $206. For those recipients who earn between $5,000 and $10,000 a year will receive $174 from this initiative.
Colleagues, this is Liberal math: The less money you make, the less money you need.
But there’s more. While this government is going to provide an average of only $174 to people making between $5,000 and $10,000 a year, they will still manage to send 70,000 cheques to people whose net income is $60,000 or more a year. They will also send another 8,000 cheques to people who do not even live in Canada.
Any way you slice this payment, the distribution is inequitable. Consider, for example, what the benefit will buy. If you live in Nunavut and you receive a $400 payment, that will buy about one quarter of the groceries that the same payment would buy in the South. Groceries in Nunavut are almost four times higher than what the rest of the country pays, but there is no recognition of that fact — the benefit is exactly the same.
In the past, the government has tried to give the impression that this money is largely going to help single moms with small children. But in reality, out of the approximately 11 million cheques that will be sent out, only about 1 million will go to households with children and less than half of those will go to single-parent homes. The other 10 million cheques will go to households with no children.
Using the GST credit program as a cost-of-living relief benefit is an extremely inefficient, inequitable way to distribute assistance. It’s a bit like fixing a watch with a hammer: It is the wrong tool for the job. But today, it is once again the only option that we have in front of us.
Colleagues, there are nights when I cannot sleep and I trust there are nights when you cannot sleep. Instead, I find myself lying awake because I am troubled by the never-ending stream of bad legislation that this government forces through Parliament.
While many Canadians are facing real challenges just to put food on the table and pay the rent, the best this government can do is recycle old programs that did not provide relief from the cost of living the first time and will not provide it this time.
It’s shameful, colleagues.
We will be supporting this bill today because it appears to be the best that this government is capable of. However, as I have said before, the day is coming, and we look forward to that day when Canadians will be given the opportunity to elect a common sense, Pierre Poilievre-led Conservative government that can begin implementing real solutions to make the lives of Canadians better instead of simply papering over the problems.
Thank you.
The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
(Motion agreed to and bill read third time and passed.)
[Translation]
The Senate
Notice of Motion to Affect this Thursday’s Sitting Withdrawn
On Government Business, Motions, Order No. 100, by the Honourable Raymonde Gagné:
That, notwithstanding rule 3-1(1), when the Senate sits on Thursday, May 11, 2023, it sit at 1:30 p.m.
Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, pursuant to rule 5-10(2), I ask that Government Notice of Motion No. 100 be withdrawn.
The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Is leave granted, honourable senators?
Hon Senators: Agreed.
(Notice of motion withdrawn.)
Constitution Act, 1867
Parliament of Canada Act
Bill to Amend—Second Reading—Debate Continued
On Other Business, Senate Public Bills, Second Reading, Order No. 6:
Second reading of Bill S-226, An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 and the Parliament of Canada Act (Speaker of the Senate).
Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Honourable senators, this bill is at day 15. Therefore, with leave of the Senate, I ask that consideration of this item be postponed until the next sitting of the Senate.
The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Is leave granted, honourable senators?
Hon Senators: Agreed.
(Debate postponed until the next sitting of the Senate.)
Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
Bill to Amend—Second Reading—Debate Continued
On the Order:
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Carignan, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator Seidman, for the second reading of Bill S-234, An Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (final disposal of plastic waste).
Hon. Raymonde Saint-Germain: Honourable senators, with leave of the Senate, I ask that this motion remain on the scroll.
The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Is leave granted, honourable senators?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: So ordered.
(Debate adjourned.)
[English]
Canadian Human Rights Act
Bill to Amend—Second Reading—Debate Adjourned
On Other Business, Senate Public Bills, Second Reading, Order No. 26:
Second reading of Bill S-257, An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act (protecting against discrimination based on political belief).
Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, with leave, I would like to reset the clock.
The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Is leave granted, honourable senators?
Hon Senators: Agreed.
(Debate postponed until the next sitting of the Senate.)
(At 4 p.m., pursuant to the order adopted by the Senate on September 21, 2022, the Senate adjourned until 2 p.m., tomorrow.)