Debates of the Senate (Hansard)
1st Session, 44th Parliament
Volume 153, Issue 208
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
The Honourable Raymonde Gagné, Speaker
- SENATORS’ STATEMENTS
- ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS
- QUESTION PERIOD
- Public Services and Procurement
- Prime Minister’s Office
- Environment and Climate Change
- Fisheries and Oceans
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
- Office of the Government Representative
- Global Affairs
- Environment and Climate Change
- Privy Council Office
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
- Privy Council Office
- Public Services and Procurement
- ORDERS OF THE DAY
THE SENATE
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
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, 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 Joseph A. Day, former senator, whose death occurred on May 27, 2024.
I remind senators that pursuant to our rules, each senator will be allowed only three minutes and they may speak only once and the time for Tributes shall not exceed 15 minutes.
SENATORS’ STATEMENTS
Tributes
The Late Honourable Joseph A. Day
Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, it has been said:
Every run is a work of art, a drawing on each day’s canvas. Some runs are shouts and some runs are whispers. Some runs are eulogies and others celebrations.
This quote of Dagny Scott Barrios sums up well a runner’s attitude to running, but seems an apt metaphor for life too, particularly the life of my dear friend — and an avid runner — former senator Joe Day. Former Senator Day passed away last week, on May 27, leaving to mourn his wife, Georgie, his children and his grandchildren, plus the many friends he made during his lifetime. If Joe met you, you became a friend.
Honourable senators, Joe loved — and I truly mean loved — being in the Senate. During his time in this place, Joe spent more than a decade as Chair or Deputy Chair of the Senate Finance Committee. His attention to detail was second to none. He gave every bill its proper scrutiny, and on more than one occasion caught errors or inconsistencies, both large and small. And Joe didn’t care whether it was a Liberal budget or a Conservative budget — if there was an error, he found it.
Former Senator Day facilitated and oversaw the formation of the Progressive Senate Group and the continued evolution of the Senate. I had him to look to when I took on the role of leader, and I value deeply the model for leadership that he set forth.
Joe was a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada with a degree in electrical engineering. He went on to graduate from Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Law degree and then earned a Master of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall. He worked in the field of intellectual property, and during his time in the Senate, he volunteered with the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, often hosting events on Parliament Hill. On his last day in office, he walked to the institute to donate a framed patent from 1855. That’s the kind of guy he was.
Honourable senators, cross-country and track and field coach Rod DeHaven said, “I’ve learned that it’s what you do with the miles, rather than how many you’ve run.”
Our friend Joe made the most of his miles. He loved life, and those who knew him know that he had a great sense of humour and a wonderful laugh. He adored his wife and partner, Georgie, his children, Emilie and Fraser and his four grandchildren. Bob and I send our thoughts and prayers to his family and many friends.
Honourable senators, it was truly an honour to work with Joe. He will be missed by so many. Thank you.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I rise today on behalf of the Government Representative Office, or GRO, to pay tribute to the honourable former senator Joseph Day, who passed away on May 27. Former Senator Day proudly represented his home province of New Brunswick until his retirement in 2020. Joe Day was many things: as we heard, a graduate of the Royal Military College in Kingston with a degree in engineering, a lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force, a Bachelor of Law graduate from Queen’s University, a Master of Laws graduate from Osgoode Hall, a candidate for federal and provincial office, a marathon runner and a senator for more than 18 years.
[Translation]
Joe was also an anglophone from New Brunswick who worked hard to become proficient in and master the language of Molière.
Senator Day was appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien in 2001. His work in the red chamber focused on defending the rights of his fellow New Brunswickers, as well as those of Indigenous peoples and veterans. He represented the Senate of Canada as the vice-president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. He also served on various Senate committees, including the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs, and as chair of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance.
[English]
Members of these committees admired him for his professionalism, evenhandedness and sense of humour. Newly appointed senators appreciated him for his willingness to mentor and patiently guide us through the unfamiliar and confusing rules and traditions of the Red Chamber. I’m looking at some of our newer colleagues and remembering well the help he provided me when I first arrived.
[Translation]
Joe served in this chamber under several governments of different political stripes. He was here when the Liberal senators became the Senate Liberal caucus, and he was elected leader of that caucus in 2016. It was Senator Day who announced the formation of the Progressive Senate Group in 2019, and he served as acting leader of the group until he retired.
[English]
I would like to quote former Senator Day’s speech to this chamber in December 2019, when he spoke here for the very last time:
We have a duty to act truthfully and with integrity with Canadians; to do what is legally and morally right. If the prefix “honourable” before our names is to be deserved, we must act truthfully and with integrity toward one another.
Joe Day’s example is, indeed, one to be emulated.
Permit me to offer my sincerest condolences to his wife of 52 years, Georgie, his children, Emilie and Fraser, his grandchildren, his extended family and his many, many friends. Godspeed, Joe. May your memory be a blessing.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, any time you’re not the first to pay tribute, you’re bound to repeat things that have already been said, so I will repeat at least some of what has already been said. I too wish to pay tribute to the Honourable Joseph Day, our former colleague and friend, who passed away on May 27 of this year.
Joe’s unwavering loyalty, work ethic and kindness left an indelible mark on all who knew him. Former Senator Day was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend — certainly to me, but also so many others in various walks of life.
His commitment to public life and our country was not only impressive but sincere. For 19 years, Joe worked tirelessly, drawing on his diverse background and amiable personality to collaborate with all sides of the Senate. His positive outlook on life and dedication to family, community and country will be remembered by all.
Over the years, former Senator Day demonstrated great discipline, integrity and professionalism. These characteristics were, without a doubt, instilled in him as a cadet at the Royal Military College of Canada. His deep understanding and appreciation of the Canadian Armed Forces can be found throughout his work here in the Senate. The Canadian Armed Forces lost an impressive ally.
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As has already been said, he also took a special interest in financial bills. Like our colleague Senator Marshall, he would go over them meticulously — line by line — ad nauseam for some of us in the Senate.
I had a lot of respect for Senator Day. He was a good Liberal — if there is a good Liberal. Yet when he travelled abroad, he put partisanship aside and proudly represented Canada’s best interests, and he stood to defend and promote our government and the country’s overall reputation.
I am grateful for the opportunities that we had to travel together and will forever hold dear the memories that my wife and I shared with Georgie and Joe on trips to Mongolia, China and other places.
Colleagues, I believe that Senator Day’s legacy lives on through his kindness, commitment and respect for others. For now, at least, it appears that Senator Day will have been the last senator to hold the title of Liberal leader in the Senate of Canada.
As we honour Senator Day’s memory with gratitude and respect, our thoughts and prayers are with Georgie and her entire family at this time.
Thank you, colleagues.
[Translation]
Hon. Pierrette Ringuette: Honourable senators, on behalf of the Independent Senators Group, I rise today with a heavy heart to pay tribute to the late Senator Joe Day from New Brunswick.
The title “honourable,” given to Joe Day in 2001 following his appointment to the Senate, was richly deserved. He was a highly accomplished and remarkable person. His insatiable hunger for knowledge, which led to a degree in engineering and a master’s degree in law, made him remarkable.
Joe was a firm believer in the adage “a healthy mind in a healthy body,” and the nine marathons he ran proved it. We shared offices in the Victoria Building and often crossed paths early in the morning, as Joe was entering his office, covered in sweat and wearing his running shoes, after a run.
[English]
Since Joe particularly loved a cold beer, I would tell him early in the morning, “You should run in the evenings, Joe, to enjoy that cold beer even more.”
Some may say that Joe’s discipline was the result of his military education and training — maybe.
I tend to believe it was rather his innate self-discipline that led him to study at two military colleges: the one in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, where he learned French, and the one in Kingston.
He was an honorary member of the Royal Military College of Canada and served on its board of governors from 2004 to 2007.
I believe Joe enjoyed and thrived in his professional career, but he was certainly passionate and engaged with the Liberal Party of New Brunswick and of Canada. In fact, his wife, Georgie, was a member of the legislative assembly, or MLA, and a minister in New Brunswick. They were a powerful and dedicated couple for the party and for democracy.
In 1982, Joe was a leadership candidate for the New Brunswick Liberal Party. All were very impressed with him. However, serving MLA Doug Young was chosen. To this day, many New Brunswickers opine and speculate what a different scenario would have produced.
Joe was certainly highly respected at home. New Brunswickers were thrilled when Joe was appointed to the Senate, and he did not disappoint their expectations.
Active in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the Canada-China Legislative Association, he strongly believed that parliamentarians could play an important role in diplomacy.
The Honourable Joe Day was also an exceptional chair of the National Finance Committee. He was fair, disciplined and thorough regarding budget bills. It was quite a learning experience to be a member of that committee under his chairmanship.
He was so thorough that on third reading of a certain bill in the Senate — some of my colleagues will remember this event — Senator Day remarked that the schedule was missing. Every clerk and leader was scrambling to find the schedule, only to discover that the other place had not included it when the bill was sent to the Senate.
Of course, the Senate was suspended until the other place corrected their mistake, as did the Senate. This is one example of the thoroughness of Joe Day, and one reason why he was truly a role model to us all.
I am sad that, after so many years of hard work and dedication, Joe did not have more time to enjoy retirement — if retirement is at all possible for a devoted and grounded Canadian like him. I hope, at least, there is a great beer garden up there.
On behalf of the Independent Senators Group, or ISG, we extend our sincere condolences to Joe’s wife, Georgie, and children, Emilie and Fraser.
Honourable senators, the former Senator Day’s staff got in touch with me and asked if I could relay the following message on their behalf:
It is a privilege to have had the opportunity to work for Senator Day. Or, as some of us used to say, to attend the Joe Day Bootcamp.
As his dear wife and love Georgie recently wrote, and I quote, “He viewed his role as a Canadian Senator in the purest of all ways and was constantly in awe when he looked out his office window at the Parliament Buildings. He took his role in a “sober second thought” institution very seriously. He went to work early and stayed late. He attended!” End quote.
And because of that diligent approach to his work, we were proud to work for him. He showed us what it meant to be a Parliamentarian, and he leaves an indelible mark.
He had a generosity of spirit that was obvious to all who met him, and his well-honed sense of humour and somewhat mischievous smile were disarming.
Senator, you will be sorely missed — and now, as we have done many times before, we raise a New Brunswick Moosehead Lager to you. Thank you for everything.
Thank you very much.
Hon. Larry W. Smith: Honourable senators, I rise today with sadness and respect to pay tribute to a great parliamentarian, the Honourable Joseph A. Day.
Senator Day’s accomplishment as a lawyer and a lieutenant-colonel in the Canadian Air Force and his ascension into the world of politics made him a formidable senator. He was fiercely partisan and unapologetically Liberal, but that never overshadowed his humility and compassion. He was as humble as they came. His warm smile and gentle demeanour were his hallmarks, and he radiated a kindness that touched everyone he met.
He extended his hand out to everyone regardless of who the person on the other side was. This was my personal experience with Senator Day — or Joe, as he insisted being called. He welcomed me some 14 years ago and immediately took me under his wing and mentored me, a relatively young Conservative senator, with generosity and grace.
Early in my Senate career, having had the privilege of working closely with Senator Day, spending countless hours in the chamber and in committees, listening to his wisdom and observing his diplomatic approach, I learned invaluable lessons about politics and partisanship. He was living proof that you can be partisan without being divisive. That is the type of man he was.
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Former Senator Day worked tirelessly across party lines to advance the cause of Canadian veterans and their families. Moreover, his passion for making Canada a key player and active participant in international affairs was ever-present during the 18 years he represented Canada at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. I want to quote Joe himself. During his farewell speech in this place, he said:
Honourable senators, we do not live in a silo called Canada. We live in a country which is a valued and influential member of the international community, and that gives rise to obligations on the international stage. We may have differences about the role we should play, but there are matters where we should have no differences.
Former Senator Day was consistent in every sense — in his words, actions and convictions. This consistency extended beyond the walls of Parliament. As an avid athlete, he was a familiar sight every morning during sitting weeks, running up and down Wellington Street wearing his bright workout attire and that unforgettable smile. It was almost like clockwork.
Colleagues, former Senator Day left an indelible mark on this institution and many of us here today. He will be missed, but his work will remain.
On behalf of my colleagues in the Canadian Senators Group, I would like to offer my sincere condolences to former Senator Day’s wife, Georgie; his children, Emilie and Fraser; and his grandchildren, Oakley, Audrey, Jasper and Juniper.
Thank you all.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I ask you all rise and join me in a minute of silence in memory of our late colleague.
(Honourable senators then stood in silent tribute.)
Visitors in the Gallery
The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Salvatore Sciacchitano, Council President of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and Juan Carlos Salazar, Secretary General of the ICAO. They are accompanied by other members of the ICAO.
On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!
The Late Honourable Joseph A. Day
Hon. René Cormier: Honourable senators, there are people who pass briefly through our lives and yet have an indelible and lasting impact. Such is the case of my meeting with the Honourable Joseph Day.
I didn’t know former Senator Day before I joined the Senate. I had, of course, read about his remarkable career and been impressed by his background: engineer, lawyer, member of the military and marathon runner.
When listening to his speeches in the chamber, I could grasp his discipline, integrity and professionalism. I could see he was an ardent defender of New Brunswick and devoted his entire life to the public cause. However, other than the fact that we were both from New Brunswick, it seemed to me that we had very little in common.
[Translation]
He was from Saint John, an English-speaking city in southern New Brunswick, while I was from Caraquet, a French-speaking town on the Acadian Peninsula. He was a member of the military, while I was an artist. In my eyes, we were not from the same generation, the same background or the same culture, and so I was very intimidated when I ran into him in this chamber and I didn’t dare approach him.
However, one day, when we both happened to be in the senators’ lounge, he came up to me and spoke to me so eloquently in French that my jaw dropped. I realized that I had made assumptions about his linguistic ability and his interest in the French language and Acadia, and that perhaps we had a lot more in common than I thought.
We talked a length about our love for the French language and what a privilege it was to come from the only officially bilingual province in the country. He talked about his love for the Senate and how he wished he didn’t have to retire. We also shared a love of running. He gave me valuable advice on how to increase my endurance if I wanted to run a marathon one day. He told me, “Keep your mind busy and don’t focus too much on each step or each kilometre you run.” That was his advice.
[English]
Last year, I participated in the Canada Army Run with no real objective. I was running in this magnificent city, and my conversation with former Senator Day came back to me. I thought of him, his invaluable advice and the way he had so eloquently spoken to me in French. Colleagues, I followed his advice that day, and thanks to him, I completed my second half‑marathon with pride.
Nelson Mandela once said:
If you speak to a man in a language he understands, you speak to his mind; if you speak to him in his own language, you speak to his heart.
Well, the Honourable Joseph Day spoke to my heart that day, and — though I’m sad about his passing — I learned a valuable lesson from my encounter with this remarkable citizen: No matter how different we may seem to be, there is always room for us to meet and celebrate who we are.
[Translation]
Rest in peace, Honourable Joseph Day. I will keep following your valuable advice. That’s a promise straight from the heart. Thank you.
Visual Voices
Hon. Sharon Burey: Honourable colleagues, I rise today to draw your attention to the Visual Voices exhibit, which showcases the work of the Senate through the artwork displayed in our building. It is an honour and a privilege to be a member of the Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group, which collectively provides guidance on managing and exhibiting works of art in the Senate of Canada.
[English]
I want to thank Tamara Dolan and Meghan Paterson for providing me with background information for this statement.
The newest “Visual Voices” display in the Senate, based on the work of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, brings attention to the study of soil health through the works of Canadian artists Britt Francis and Ken van Rees.
Vancouver-born Britt Francis’s artwork Infinite Blue depicts a woman standing in a vast Canadian landscape. It reminds the viewer of how much larger our landscape is than the individual, as well as our responsibility to care for the land and soil we live on. The landscape expands beyond the sightline and frame, providing a sense of grandeur and infinite possibilities.
The artist was known for his magical realist style of artwork. Magical realism depicts a hyperrealistic image but with a sense of a dreamed reality. Francis’s work creates an interesting contrast with Ken van Rees’s contemporary work Highway 2, which looks at soil at a very granular level, where our day-to-day actions build a future where these possibilities become our reality.
Ken van Rees, born in Ontario, is a retired soil scientist and professor from the University of Saskatchewan who, interestingly, was one of committee’s witnesses. After spending three decades teaching and conducting research, he now creates works of art using pigment from the soil. In fact, the soil rubbings which appear in this work are actual soil samples collected from Saskatchewan. He describes his art as an intersection of natural sciences and art, saying:
I hope my paintings present a different perspective of our landscapes, one where the natural sciences and art might intersect reflecting the colors, shapes and textures of our northern landscapes.
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The artwork displayed at the Senate shares a history of our institutions. It explains the work of senators and represents the voices of Canadians. It provides a unique opportunity to connect with the work of senators and create a space for reflection while drawing attention to the important role artists play in our society to spark discussions on issues that matter to Canadians. It’s now being displayed in room B30. Enjoy. Thank you, meegwetch.
Visitors in the Gallery
The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Howard Teller and Hélène Lucier. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Gold.
On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!
World Oceans Day
Hon. Mary Coyle: Honourable senators, Saturday is World Oceans Day.
We human beings are closely tied to our oceans. Our modern‑day troubadours sing about them: The Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden,” Otis Redding’s “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay,” Raffi’s “Baby Beluga,” the viral hit “Baby Shark,” Stan Rogers’ “Barrett’s Privateers” and Rum Ragged’s “The Wave That Hit St. Bride’s.”
Our oceans cover 70% of our planet, and they are the Earth’s lungs, providing 70% of the oxygen we breathe. Oceans are the most important global storage depot of carbon on Earth, soaking up more carbon than all the world’s rainforests combined. The ocean is one of the main repositories of the world’s biodiversity.
Nova Scotia’s licence plates declare that we are Canada’s ocean playground, and that we are.
Oceans are places where we relax and have fun. A couple of weeks ago, I went to Pomquet Beach with my grandkids, Sophie, Violetta and Sierra, who frolicked in the chilly waters and built their sandcastles.
Oceans are places to harvest food, medicines and preserve cultural practices. A couple of years ago, I told you about lobster fishing in the Northumberland Strait off of Arisaig with the MacInnis family. Lobster is Canada’s most valuable fishery, with exports exceeding $3.2 billion in 2021. Last winter, I snowshoed out onto Antigonish Harbour to talk with the Mi’kmaq women and men who were spearing eels according to their age-old traditions.
Oceans are also places of sport and, at times, intense competition. People from my area love to head to the rugged Eastern Shore to surf the high ocean swells. Last weekend, SailGP made its Canada debut in Halifax with 10 teams of athletes from across the globe going head to head at high speeds in their F50 catamarans.
These same high ocean winds are important to our energy future, as we heard from Senator Petten yesterday. Senator Quinn, former chief executive officer of the Saint John Port Authority, could tell us about the importance of our oceans to international trade. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, predicts that the global ocean economy will reach $4 trillion by 2030.
In closing, colleagues, oceans are also places of liberation from tyranny and places of remembrance. Last September, I visited Normandy’s D-Day beaches and Canada’s Juno Beach Centre. Tomorrow, on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, French citizens will gather on those beaches with visitors from Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be there with them.
Honourable colleagues, let us join in spirit with those gathered oceanside to remember the horrors and the heroes.
Thank you.
Visitor in the Gallery
The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Tuma Young. He is the guest of the Honourable Senators White and Francis.
On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!
Tuma Young
Hon. Brian Francis: Honourable senators, in honour of both National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month, I rise today to recognize Mr. Tuma Young, a member of the Eskasoni First Nation.
Tuma is the first Mi’kmaw-speaking lawyer in Nova Scotia, having been called to the bar in 2001. He is also the first Indigenous president of a law society in Canada, becoming president of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society in 2021. He teaches Mi’kmaq Studies at Cape Breton University, with research interests in reclaiming and restoring Mi’kmaq legal principles, the traditional roles and responsibilities of two-spirited people and the political activism of the L’nu from the 1900s to the present.
For decades now, Tuma has worked tirelessly for Indigenous rights, including 2SLGBTQ+ rights, by raising awareness at the local level and ensuring that two-spirited people are celebrated in their communities.
Having grown up in a traditional manner on the Malagawatch First Nation reserve, Tuma experienced first-hand how isolating a lack of knowledge can be for 2SLGBTQ+ youth. Consequently, he is one of the co-founders of the Wabanaki Two Spirit Alliance, an organization that strives to provide equitable and safe environments for two-spirit and Indigenous LGBTQ+ people to live and thrive while promoting their interests.
Going back to his legal career, in late 2022, Tuma achieved another milestone as a small claims court adjudicator when he wrote his decision in Mi’kmaw, which was then translated into English and French. This was a significant moment of inclusivity in the province’s legal system and an important step toward reconciliation.
Additionally, Tuma currently sits as the Nova Scotia board representative on the Canadian Bar Association and is a proud member of the Indigenous Bar Association, Cape Breton Barristers Society, Eastern Door L’nu lawyers and the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society. Tuma is also an adjudicator for the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission and is an arbitrator appointed under the Labour Board of Nova Scotia.
On top of all of that, he continues to offer pro bono legal services to the community as a means of giving back more directly.
I, alongside Senator White and Senator Prosper, would like to welcome Tuma to the Senate of Canada and thank him for his incredible work and his dedication to improving the lives of others while making Mi’kmaq communities proud.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
Visitor in the Gallery
The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Chana Wielinga. They are the guest of the Honourable Senator Bernard.
On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!
Understanding Our History
Hon. Pamela Wallin: Honourable senators, I read this the other day, and thought I would share it with you.
A young cashier snapped at an older woman that she should bring her grocery bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment, saying, “Your generation didn’t care enough to save the environment for our generation.”
The old lady gave a firm stare and countered with:
Back then, we returned milk bottles, pop bottles and beer bottles. We sent them back to the plant to be washed, sterilized, and refilled, so we could use the same bottles over. They were recycled.
Grocery stores put our groceries in brown paper bags, which we reused for numerous things.
We walked upstairs because we didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.
Back then, we washed the baby’s diapers because we didn’t have the throwaway kind.
We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine — wind and solar power did dry our clothes in our day.
Kids got hand-me-downs from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.
Back then, we had one TV, or radio in the house — not a TV in every room. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn’t have machines to do everything for us.
When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded-up old newspapers to cushion it — not Styrofoam or bubble wrap.
Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power.
We got our exercise by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.
We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a plastic bottle. We refilled pens with ink and we replaced the razor blades instead of throwing away the whole razor.
Back then, people took the bus and kids rode their bikes instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets. We didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles in space just to find the nearest burger joint.
But the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have the green thing going.
The cashier stood there quietly. The old lady paused and then said to the young clerk:
You have a world of knowledge in that little device in your hand. Pity you just use it to gossip, take pictures and waste time. It would do you good to learn a bit of history.
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Colleagues, history and context are always important.
Visitor in the Gallery
The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Jenny Tan, municipal councillor for Maple Ridge, British Columbia. She is the guest of the Honourable Senator Clement.
On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!
ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS
Budget Implementation Bill, 2024, No. 1
Tenth Report of Transport and Communications Committee on Subject Matter Tabled
Hon. Leo Housakos: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the tenth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications, which deals with the subject matter of those elements contained in Divisions 27 and 37 of Part 4 of Bill C-69, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 16, 2024.
(Pursuant to the order adopted May 9, 2024, the report was deemed referred to the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance and placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.)
Twenty-second Report of Social Affairs, Science and Technology Committee on Subject Matter Tabled
Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the twenty-second report of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, which deals with the subject matter of those elements contained in Divisions 3, 4, 5, 14, 21, 22, 23, 31, 32 and 38 of Part 4 of Bill C-69, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 16, 2024.
(Pursuant to the order adopted May 9, 2024, the report was deemed referred to the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance and placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.)
Adjournment
Notice of Motion
Hon. Patti LaBoucane-Benson (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, June 11, 2024, at 2 p.m.
The Late Honourable Joseph A. Day
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 life and career of the late Honourable Joseph A. Day.
QUESTION PERIOD
Public Services and Procurement
Procurement Process
Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Government leader, the Auditor General’s report made it crystal clear that the NDP-Trudeau government is not worth the cost or the corruption.
Two chapters of her report show how Liberal insiders at the McKinsey consulting firm and the green slush fund received millions of dollars from Canadians struggling to get by. McKinsey was awarded $209 million in contracts — almost double what was previously thought — and the Trudeau government frequently disregarded procurement rules in doing so.
Sustainable Development Technology Canada, or SDTC, had rampant conflicts of interest: The Auditor General identified 186 cases, and millions went out the door. This green slush fund is finally being shut down in disgrace.
Leader, you don’t like it when I use the word “corruption,” but that’s what’s going on here — isn’t it, leader?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. I can be brief: the answer is no.
With regard to the Auditor General’s report, which the government was pleased to receive, it was clear that there was no indication of political interference that had been found with regard to the McKinsey contracts.
With regard to SDTC, the government welcomes and thanks the government for the report. It’s taken the allegations seriously. Indeed, it has acted on it following proper due diligence. As you know — as it has been well announced in the press — steps have been taken to transition from that board in order to transfer resources to the National Research Council, which is a Crown corporation with stringent accountability.
Finally, to return to McKinsey, what is important and what senators and Canadians should know is that the conclusions of the Auditor General were reached earlier by the government’s internal investigation, and it has taken steps to remedy the situation.
Senator Plett: The only thing this government takes seriously is how to hide the corruption. In the case of McKinsey, it’s no secret they’re friendly with Liberals. Dominic Barton even came up with the idea of the failed Canada Infrastructure Bank. McKinsey received dozens of contracts across 10 federal departments and agencies and 10 corporations without competition — $118 million in total. Are Canadians supposed to believe that’s just a coincidence, leader?
Senator Gold: What Canadians should understand is that the government has taken stringent measures to improve the processes with which contracts are accorded. Since January 2023, all professional service contracts awarded under the National Master Standing Offer mechanism have been subject to very strict scrutiny. The standing offer with McKinsey expired in February 2023. No standing offer is being renewed. Steps will continue to be taken to make sure Canadians receive value for the services that are contracted for.
Prime Minister’s Office
National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians
Hon. Leo Housakos: Senator Gold, the latest report of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, or NSICOP, makes it clear that in 2018 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was made aware of serious national security threats with foreign states against Parliament and against our elections. Mr. Trudeau was advised that the measures that his government had in place were not enough. He was also advised to take further action. He ignored that advice.
Three times, the civil service and his advisers asked Prime Minister Trudeau to approve action in order to protect Parliament and our democracy. It was three times, Senator Gold: In December 2019, again in December 2020 and again in February 2022, advisers told the Prime Minister to take action against foreign interference. The Prime Minister didn’t give approval, and he took no action. The question is: why?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for underlining the most recent report from NSICOP. It is valuable work that is done on behalf of Canadians by an institution created by this particular government. The government thanks NSICOP members for its report and for their work.
The government is always refining, improving and adapting our measures to counter foreign interference. The government is committed to evolving and strengthening existing measures. The government has already tabled two pieces of legislation that will further strengthen protections for Canadians and for our democratic institutions. Here, of course, I’m referring to Bill C-65 and Bill C-70, which address many of the recommendations in the report to which you referred. The committee’s recommendations will continue to assist the government in this ongoing work.
Senator Housakos: Look at all that action you’ve taken over the last eight years. You tabled a bill last week.
Senator Gold, the NSICOP report revealed that parliamentarians willingly and knowingly assisted hostile foreign governments in interfering in Parliament and in our elections. They did so in favour of foreign states against the interests of Canadians and the Canadian people. Parliamentarians owe their loyalty to the people of Canada and not to a foreign state.
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I have a very simple question, even for you, Senator Gold: Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and release the names of these parliamentarians in that report?
Senator Gold: Thank you for your question and for your ongoing concern on this matter. I simply cannot comment on any confidential information that may involve individuals. There are aspects of this — for the very good reasons —
An Hon. Senator: Oh my God.
Senator Gold: — that all responsible parliamentarians understand, these matters, for the moment, cannot be divulged.
Environment and Climate Change
Emissions Reduction Target
Hon. Mary Coyle: Senator Gold, today is World Environment Day. It is an opportunity to highlight the environmental challenges faced by Canada and the world and to promote the initiatives and solutions designed to address the climate crisis and preserve our shared environment.
As we celebrate World Environment Day, it is important to reflect on the commitments made by our government, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2035 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Senator Gold, could you provide an update on the progress to date in meeting these critical goals and, if time permits, the steps the government has taken to meet these commitments?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, senator.
As we know, the government recently released the 2023 Progress Report, which is the first progress report on the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan that identifies climate actions and strategies for Canada to reach its 2030 emissions reduction target and net-zero emissions by 2050.
Though I don’t have time to list every specific step in the over 200-page progress report, I can say the report indicates the government is on a solid path toward a 2030 target. In fact, Canada is on pace to surpass the previous target of 30% below 2005 levels and is currently tracking to exceed the 2026 interim objective. With additional actions and engagement from provinces, territories, municipalities, Indigenous communities, the financial sector and the business sector, Canada can and will meet our emissions reduction targets.
Fisheries and Oceans
Marine Protected Areas
Hon. Mary Coyle: Senator Gold, as marine and coastal areas face increasing threats from pollution, overfishing and climate change, the need for intervention to protect these vital ecosystems has become more pressing than ever.
Could you please share the latest developments on the government’s efforts to expand protected areas to meet the goal of conserving 30% of our marine and coastal areas by 2030?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question.
As of May 2024, Canada has protected 14.67% of its oceans, totalling 842,822 square kilometres. The government achieved this through the Oceans Act marine protected areas led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, National Wildlife Areas led by Environment and Climate Change Canada, national marine conservation areas led by Parks Canada and other effective area‑based conservation measures.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Children of Canadian Citizens
Hon. David M. Arnot: Senator Gold, Bill C-71, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act, responds to gaps and deficiencies in the legislation affecting the lost Canadians but not for those Canadians born abroad and adopted by their Canadian parents. These children are prevented from passing on citizenship if they also choose to adopt children broad. This first generation cut-off rule, which affects no other Canadians, is not cured by the proposed 1,095-day substantial connection test. Born and adopted abroad, these Canadians will not have access to the full breadth of their citizenship rights. They are, in effect, citizens minus. This is a fundamental breach of their citizenship rights.
Senator Gold, will you ask the government to consider a simple amendment to the bill to correct this inequality before it comes to the Senate?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, senator, for your question and for raising this very important question. I will certainly bring this concern to the attention of the minister.
My understanding is that the intent of the bill is to treat everyone equally, whether they are biological or adopted children. Indeed — colleagues may know — adopted children are specifically mentioned in Bill C-71.
I have also been advised that the government is aware that some stakeholders have concerns in this regard, and the government is open to having a conversation in that respect.
Senator Arnot: Senator Gold, will you ask the minister to support and promote a simple amendment? It says, “children who receive citizenship after their adoption is complete are exempt from the substantial connection test.” This amendment would easily correct the obvious breach of their citizenship rights in this bill before it reaches the Senate.
Senator Gold: Thank you, colleague. I will certainly add that to my conversation with the minister.
Office of the Government Representative
Senate Ethics Officer
Hon. Percy E. Downe: Senator Gold, the Senate ethics rules state:
A Senator shall refrain from acting in a way that could reflect adversely on the position of Senator or the institution of the Senate.
The report released by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians found that:
. . . some Parliamentarians are, in the words of the intelligence services, “semi-witting or witting” participants in the efforts of foreign states to interfere in our politics. . . .
What steps will the Leader of the Government in the Senate be taking to protect public confidence and trust in the Canadian Senate? Will you be asking the Senate Ethics Officer to investigate foreign interference involving senators?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. I am not in possession of information regarding individual parliamentarians — whether in this chamber or in the other place — nor is it my unique responsibility as a senator to bring things to the attention of the Senate Ethics Officer.
Having said all that, the report of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians is being taken very seriously by the government. At such time as there is further information about what further steps may be taken, they will be made public where appropriate.
Senator Downe: I would hope it would be taken seriously by the Government Representative in the Senate as well. Senator Gold, not only do you represent the government, you also have a massive budget of over $1.5 million for your work. All that comes with additional responsibility.
As you know, the Senate Ethics Officer could, if he wanted to, interview every senator about their involvement — if any. All of us are currently under a cloud. Given the loyalty to Canada of parliamentarians who have been called into question by this report and given that some parliamentarians, according to the report, have accepted funds from foreign actors, as government leader, can you advise why parliamentarians discovered by our intelligence service —
Senator Gold: Senator, I really do appreciate your vision of my role. Of course, I — like all of us — take this report very seriously. However, at this juncture, it is simply not only premature but inappropriate for me to comment further.
Global Affairs
International Relations
Hon. Andrew Cardozo: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate and is on the issue that has been raised a couple of times so far on foreign interference. It’s more a discussion question.
We have Bill C-70 coming to us shortly, and we have the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians report. I find that, as a parliamentarian, we have a fair amount of interaction with embassies. I wonder where we draw a line. On one hand, embassies talk to us about their interests, and it may be around trade, the environment or selling light rail transit, or LRT, trains to Canada. On the other end of the spectrum, there is certainly what I would call interference that is everything from intimidating diaspora communities to funding electoral campaigns.
Where do we draw the line between where we can interact with an embassy and where we should be drawing the line and indicating that we don’t need to have —
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): First of all, it’s a very good question.
First, I think each individual senator — and we carry the term “honourable” — has a responsibility to ourselves to ask ourselves that very question and to make sure we don’t even approach the line, much less cross it. I have confidence in us, individually and collectively, that we do that — as we should — diligently and with due regard to our fiduciary responsibility to Canadians.
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Second, we have resources in the Senate, the Senate Ethics Officer being one, from which advice can be sought. We can ask them individually — as many senators have done — as it concerns our own personal activities.
Finally, there is the common-sense smell test; we should be mindful of accepting favours or trips —
An Hon. Senator: Order, order.
Senator Cardozo: It would be good if one could hear one’s own voice during a question and answer.
I would like to ask you about that last point. In terms of accepting a dinner or trip, what are your suggestions about where we draw that line?
Senator Gold: Thank you for the confidence you have in my advice. Those questions are properly addressed to one’s self and one’s own moral compass, to the Senate Ethics Officer or to colleagues who have more experience than I did when I first arrived.
I will say — and I counsel those who have not done this to do so — before I was sworn in, I had a long conversation with the Senate Ethics Officer about travel, boards and those activities I had been privileged and pleased to do as a citizen before joining the Senate.
Environment and Climate Change
Carbon Tax
Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Leader, I’m going to put on the record the testimony of Yves Giroux, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, or PBO, from the House of Commons Finance Committee meeting on Monday. He said:
. . . the government has economic analysis on the impact of the carbon tax itself and the OBPS. We’ve seen that, staff in my office, but we’ve been told explicitly not to disclose it, and reference it.
In subsequent testimony, Mr. Giroux agreed he was under a gag order.
Leader, the PBO is an officer of Parliament. From a government that once promised to be open by default, this is shameful.
When will you lift this gag order?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): First, thank you for your question. The Parliamentary Budget Officer is an important institution in our system.
It’s important to remember the PBO report confirmed that the majority of Canadians will get back more in rebates than they pay from the fuel charge.
As we know, and as the Parliamentary Budget Officer acknowledged, there was a separate, rather hypothetical scenario based upon Canada taking no action on climate change. We now know that hypothetical scenario was based upon the wrong information. Any economic analysis comparing carbon pricing to a do-nothing scenario doesn’t serve Canadians well, though it may serve political leaders who otherwise have no credible plan to fight climate change.
In that regard, the facts will —
Senator Plett: The PBO — in whom I have more confidence than this Prime Minister, who can’t balance his own chequebook — produced a report that shows most families will pay more in carbon tax than they receive from the so-called rebate.
Now we learn that the Trudeau government has information that confirms his report, leader, and they’re actively preventing it from being disclosed.
If this secretive NDP-Trudeau government has nothing to hide, what’s stopping them from tabling this information today?
Senator Gold: What is clear is that the analysis or conclusion that you just referred to was, by the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s own admission, based upon incorrect, erroneous information, which was well-known to him for months before it was released. I subscribe to the government’s generous characterization of this as being an honest mistake, but a mistake it certainly was.
Privy Council Office
Democratic Institutions
Hon. Leo Housakos: Senator Gold, let me tell you where we draw the line when it comes to foreign interference: We actually take action against entities trying to interfere in our democracy and institutions — unlike the Trudeau government, which has for years ragged the puck and prevented legislation, something known as the Kenny Chiu bill, from going forward in the House of Commons.
For three years, Bill S-237 has been tabled in this chamber; you have never spoken to that bill, Senator Gold. For that matter, other than this caucus, myself and Senator Richards, not one of the 80 government-appointed senators from the last nine years thinks foreign interference should be discussed. Those are the facts.
You’ve delayed legislation. You created a sham of a veil by trying to hide behind David Johnston. That failed.
We have the chair of the public inquiry calling your government out. Now I’m calling you out.
When will you name the parliamentarians who are implicated in this foreign interference? Who are those Liberals, both in the House and the Senate?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): I will not answer that question, nor dignify the insinuation.
I will answer you, Senator Housakos, with the same —
[Translation]
The Hon. the Speaker: Order. Perhaps we should let Senator Gold respond.
[English]
Senator Gold: Senator Housakos, you have held yourself out to be an expert in the Westminster system and all things parliamentary.
It is a serious breach of understanding of what the role of the Senate is vis-à-vis our security institutions with regard to the legislation that governs the divulgation of this kind of information.
It is shocking that you would stand up here and assume you know who those members are. I will not give you more of an answer than to simply say I expect more than that from an experienced parliamentarian on the other side.
Senator Housakos: We expect honesty and transparency.
Senator Gold, I’ll tell you what we in the opposition and Canadian citizens expect from our government: for it to respect this institution called Parliament, our democracies and electoral processes.
We have now confirmed reports were taken to the Prime Minister, cabinet and government with specific names over a three-year period. They refused to take action. Don’t Canadians have the right to know who these parliamentarians are who have been working — either willingly or unwillingly — with foreign entities to interfere in our institutions?
Senator Gold: Canadians have every right to expect that their governments, of whatever stripe or political party, act responsibly when allegations of this seriousness are brought to the attention of the government. They should expect their governments to act responsibly and not try to score cheap political points.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ People
Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Switching channels — Senator Gold, I want to talk about June as Pride Month. We have taken time out here to celebrate the spirit of the pride community. However, we also know that members of the pride community continue to face systemic barriers. Let me give you an example.
The Toronto Star carried a front-page article on a young gay man who was an international student here in Canada. He was denied a study permit extension because of his HIV status. What confuses me is that he was originally given a study permit to enter Canada with full knowledge of his health status, but then denied the extension. I’m sure you are as confused as I am.
Beyond that specific case, what is the government’s position on the broader policy around allowing exemptions from health requirements for people with HIV with respect to their visas for entering Canada? Thank you.
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, senator, for raising this important question. I can’t comment on this particular case.
To your question, the government has already taken steps to ensure that HIV applicants are not unduly prejudiced or burdened; this includes revoking the policy that required immigration applicants or refugees to disclose an HIV diagnosis to the person sponsoring them to Canada.
I’ve been informed that Africans are required to undergo an HIV test as part of the medical examination.
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As part of this, the responsible panel physician will provide post-test counselling to applicants who test positive for HIV, as per the Canadian Panel Member Guide to Immigration Medical Examinations. The panel physician will then have the applicant sign the Acknowledgement of HIV post-test counselling form.
HIV positivity does not make a client inadmissible due to public health concerns. However, in some cases, colleagues, it may lead to inadmissibility if their health care costs could exceed the excessive demand threshold.
Senator Omidvar: Thank you, Senator Gold, for that answer. Could you please ensure that this policy is carried through beyond entry requirements to extension requirements, which is really the systemic issue that people are facing? Thank you.
Senator Gold: Thank you. I’ll certainly raise this with the responsible minister.
Privy Council Office
Democratic Institutions
Hon. Rebecca Patterson: Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate, Senator Gold.
Senator, as a follow-up to my colleague Senator Downe’s questions, will you commit to speak to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Safety, who incidentally also carries the title of Minister for Democratic Institutions, to release the names of any senators whom the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians referenced in their unredacted report so that those can be forwarded to the Senate Ethics Officer for review?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. I will certainly raise this with the Prime Minister and ministers when I have an occasion to do that. The decision will be theirs, as you would fully expect and understand.
Senator Patterson: Senator, under section 48(4) of the Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code for Senators, it states the powers of the Senate Ethics Officer:
In carrying out an inquiry, the Senate Ethics Officer has the power to send for persons, papers, and records, which powers may be enforced by the Senate acting on the recommendation of the Committee following a request from the Senate Ethics Officer.
Would Senator Gold commit to working with the Senate Ethics Officer to release the unredacted report to that office, should the Senate Ethics Officer make that request?
Senator Gold: Senator Patterson, there are — and properly so — rules surrounding the work of the Senate Ethics Officer and the committees to which you referred. They’re rules that bind all senators, and properly so. You can rest assured that any involvement I might have on this file beyond what I’ve undertaken to do will respect all of those rules.
Public Services and Procurement
Procurement Process
Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): My question for the government leader concerns Tuesday’s report from the Auditor General. The Auditor General found about 70% of the 97 contracts awarded to the Liberal-friendly McKinsey & Company consulting firm were done without any competition. That works out to $118 million for McKinsey, all while Canadians struggle to make ends meet.
She also found that in cases of four competitive contracts, the procurement strategy was designed and implemented to suit McKinsey. To top it all off, the Auditor General said the contracts often didn’t demonstrate value for money.
In April, leader, I asked why the Trudeau government hasn’t apologized to taxpayers for this. Will your government do so now?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. What the government has done, and has been doing for at least a year now, long before the Auditor General released the report, is take concrete action to address the shortcomings that have been revealed in the procurement process. I mentioned some of them in the previous answer, but let me add to the previous answer: To strengthen the rules regarding the awarding of contracts, in addition to the expiration of the standing offer with McKinsey which, as I mentioned, expired well over a year ago.
The delegated authority of all departments for professional services has been suspended, and there’s been renewed training for those officials who execute those contracts. The government has also implemented measures —
Senator Martin: These measures are after the fact that hundreds of millions of dollars have been wasted. McKinsey isn’t the only consulting firm to receive millions without competition from the Trudeau government. The Auditor General is investigating the sole-source contracts given to Accenture to run the Canada Emergency Business Account loans program. Accenture received $208 million which the Trudeau government never proactively disclosed.
Leader, when will the Trudeau government stop the flow of lucrative taxpayer-funded contracts to Liberal insiders?
Senator Gold: Again, with the greatest of respect, it’s an important question about the integrity of our system, but the assumptions and premises, I’m afraid, I cannot subscribe to — nor do I subscribe to the conclusion that all of these contracts necessarily were wastes, or that value wasn’t given for the money.
The important point is the government has — over the last year — taken, and will continue to take, steps to ensure that the procurement process is done with the highest standards of integrity and transparency.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
Business of the Senate
Hon. Patti LaBoucane-Benson (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, pursuant to rule 4-12(3), I would like to inform the Senate that as we proceed with Government Business, the Senate will address the items in the following order: Motion No. 177, followed by Motion No. 178, followed by Motion No. 179, followed by Motion No. 180, followed by all remaining items in the order that they appear on the Order Paper.
The Senate
Motion to Affect Sittings on June 5, 12, 17 and 19, 2024, Adopted
Hon. Patti LaBoucane-Benson (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate), pursuant to notice of June 4, 2024, moved:
That, notwithstanding the order adopted by the Senate on September 21, 2022, the sittings of Wednesday, June 5, 12 and 19, 2024, continue beyond 4 p.m., if Government Business is not completed, and adjourn at the earlier of the completion of Government Business or midnight;
That committees considering Government Business be authorized, notwithstanding rule 12-18(1), to sit on the above dates, even though the Senate may then be sitting; and
That when the Senate sits on Monday, June 17, 2024, it adjourn at the earlier of midnight or the end of Government Business.
The Hon. the Speaker: Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
(Motion agreed to.)
[Translation]
Motion that Committees Only Meet for Government Business Until the End of June 2024 Adopted
Hon. Patti LaBoucane-Benson (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate), pursuant to notice of June 4, 2024, moved:
That, notwithstanding any provision of the Rules, previous order or usual practice, from the day following the adoption of this motion until the end of June 2024, Senate committees, other than the Standing Committee on Audit and Oversight, the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators, and the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, only meet for Government Business.
The Hon. the Speaker: Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
(Motion agreed to.)
[English]
Countering Foreign Interference Bill
National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs Committee Authorized to Study Subject Matter
Hon. Patti LaBoucane-Benson (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate), pursuant to notice of June 4, 2024, moved:
That, in accordance with rule 10-11(1), the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs be authorized to examine the subject matter of Bill C-70, An Act respecting countering foreign interference, introduced in the House of Commons on May 6, 2024, in advance of the said bill coming before the Senate; and
That, for the purposes of this study, the committee be authorized to meet even though the Senate may then be sitting or adjourned, with the application of rules 12-18(1) and 12-18(2) being suspended in relation thereto.
The Hon. the Speaker: Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
(Motion agreed to.)
The Senate
Motion to Affect Placement of Bill C-69 and Supply Bills on Orders of the Day Adopted
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate), pursuant to notice of June 4, 2024, moved:
That, notwithstanding any provision of the Rules:
1.in relation to Bill C-69, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 16, 2024, if the Senate receives a message from the House of Commons with the bill before or during the sitting of June 17, 2024, the bill be placed on the Orders of the Day for second reading at the next sitting;
2.in relation to any bill for granting to His Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, if the Senate receives any message from the House of Commons with such a bill before or during the sitting of June 18, 2024, the bill be placed on the Orders of the Day for second reading at the next sitting; and
3.if any message relating to any of the above bills is received after the relevant date indicated above, the bill be placed on the Orders of the Day for second reading later that sitting, provided that if the message is received after the point where the Senate would normally have dealt with the bill at second reading, the bill either be taken into consideration at second reading forthwith, or, if another item is under consideration at the time the message is read, the bill be placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at second reading as the next item of business.
The Hon. the Speaker: Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
(Motion agreed to.)
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Speech from the Throne
Motion for Address in Reply—Debate Continued
On the Order:
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Gold, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator LaBoucane-Benson:
That the following Address be presented to Her Excellency the Governor General of Canada:
To Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary May Simon, Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Military Merit, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada.
MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY:
We, Her Majesty’s most loyal and dutiful subjects, the Senate of Canada in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Excellency for the gracious Speech which Your Excellency has addressed to both Houses of Parliament.
Hon. Toni Varone: Honourable senators, this item stands adjourned in the name of the Honourable Senator Plett, and I ask for leave of the Senate that, following my intervention, the balance of his time to speak to this item be reserved.
The Hon. the Speaker: Is leave granted?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Hon. the Speaker: So ordered.
Senator Varone: I rise today to respond to the Speech from the Throne. In the spirit of the long-held tradition of this inaugural speech, I will speak about the valour and bravery of our Canadian soldiers and my parents’ path to immigration to Canada.
I am humbled to acknowledge that I am standing upon the unceded lands of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg peoples.
I stand before you in this esteemed chamber and address you for the very first time.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
Senator Varone: Please allow me to begin by stating my gratefulness to all of the Senate management teams for their assistance in my initial months as a new senator.
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Your Honour and to the Leader of the Government in the Senate, my Senate sponsor, all facilitators, their teams and all of you, esteemed senators, for your warm welcome and wise counsel.
Special appreciation goes to the Clerk of the Senate, the Usher of the Black Rod and their teams for their invaluable support as I settled into my new role.
I also wish to thank the security guards for their kindness and making me feel like a senator from the moment I first arrived, unannounced, in the Senate in early January.
Today I rise to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of the Allied forces’ liberation of the town of Cassino, 90 kilometres south of Rome.
May 18, 1944, marked this historic day that ended tyranny and restored liberty and freedom to this war-torn part of Italy. For you to truly understand me, I must share a brief history of my family.
My parents emigrated to Canada in the mid-1950s, from the town of Cassino, Italy, home to the Benedictine Monastery of Montecassino. Founded in 529 A.D. by St. Benedict of Norcia, the Abbey of Montecassino was the birthplace of monasticism and remained instrumental in saving the Roman Catholic religion during the Dark Ages.
As described by Peter Caddick-Adams in his novel Monte Cassino: Ten Armies in Hell, the town of Cassino in 1944 had the dubious distinction of being the most bombed place on earth.
My father, Carlo, who was 13 years old at the time, experienced these wartime hardships firsthand, seeking food amidst the bombings and finding solace with Canadian soldiers occupying the trenches along the mountainside.
Among the Canadian units that participated in the Cassino offensive were the 1st Canadian Armoured Tank Brigade; the 5th Canadian Armoured Brigade; the Three Rivers Regiment; the 1st Canadian Corps; and the First Special Service Forces, dubbed “The Red Devils,” all of whom supported the Allied forces in crossing the Liri River and the Gari River and penetrating the strongly held German Gustav Line.
Perched and entrenched on the mountainside of Montecassino, the German soldiers had held the Allied forces at bay for months while inflicting heavy casualties.
On a tragic day in February 1944, the Monastery of Montecassino became the victim of misinformation and, despite the advice of the field command, the British High Command ordered the United States Air Force to destroy the monastery. The German soldiers had left days before, and the only remaining occupants at the time of the bombing were the townspeople taking refuge.
The destruction of the monastery inflicted a heavy toll on my father’s family. My father lost 56 aunts, uncles and cousins and his grandparents in that single wave of bombing, illustrating the senseless brutality of war. It was the Canadian Forces that aided the victims with medicine, food and clothing. The destruction of Cassino and the Abbey of Montecassino was total and complete. The Battle of Montecassino was the bloodiest battle of the Italian campaign.
After the misguided destruction of Montecassino, the Germans still held the line of defence north of Ortona and continued to hold the mighty bastion of Montecassino, which blocked the Liri corridor to Rome. Determined to maintain their hold on Rome, the Germans constructed two formidable lines of fortifications: The Gustav Line and, 14.5 kilometres behind it, the Hitler Line. During April and May of 1944, the 1st Canadian Corps was secretly moved across Italy to join in the struggle for Rome.
Here, under the dominating peaks of Montecassino, the Canadian armies hurled themselves against the enemy position. The tanks of the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade supported the Allied attack. After four days of hard fighting, the German defences were broken from Cassino to the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Germans moved back to their second line of defence. On May 16, the 1st Canadian Corps received orders to advance on the Hitler Line, 10 kilometres further up the valley. Early on May 23, the attack on the Hitler Line went in. Under heavy enemy mortar and machine-gun fire, the Canadians breached the defences and the tanks of the 5th Canadian Armoured Division poured through toward the next obstacle, the Melfa River. Desperate fighting took place in the forming of a bridgehead across the Melfa, but once the Canadians were over the river the major fighting for the Liri Valley was over. The operation developed into a pursuit as the Germans moved back quickly to avoid being trapped in the valley. The 5th Armoured Division carried the Canadian pursuit to Ceprano, where the 1st Canadian Infantry Division took over the task. On May 31, the Canadians occupied Frosinone and their campaign in this area came to an end.
Rome fell on June 4. Less than 48 hours later, the long-awaited D-Day invasion of northwest Europe began on the Normandy beaches. It remained essential, therefore, for the Canadian forces in Italy to continue to pin down the German troops.
The rebuilding of my parents’ lives post-war was difficult, yet it was shaped by the memory of Canadian soldiers’ courage and generosity, instilling in them the belief that no obstacle was insurmountable. The Abbey of Montecassino was rebuilt and consecrated by Pope Paul VI in 1964, and the town of Cassino was slowly rebuilding.
Nonetheless, both my father, Carlo, and my mother, Antonietta, dreamed of a better life than what was available to them in their war-ravaged town. America was the land of opportunity, but it was Canada and the memories of the brave Canadian soldiers in the trenches, complete with their humility and kindness, that left their indelible mark on my parents.
Immigrant life was filled with adversity, but for my parents, whose reference point was World War II, no adversity was too harsh. My father always referenced the bravery of the Canadian soldiers, and he would often tell me that if those Canadian soldiers could carry tanks on their backs across frozen rivers and up mountains, then we could accomplish anything we set our minds to.
I know today that I am a proud Canadian of Italian heritage because of my parents’ beliefs in those brave Canadian men who served Canada so well. America may have been the land of opportunity, but it was the Canadian soldiers who stole my father’s heart.
My parents’ admiration for Canadian soldiers influenced my upbringing and years later led me to collaborate with former Senator Consiglio Di Nino on the Peace Through Valour project, honouring the Canadian soldiers who fought for Italy’s liberation.
In 2016, the Peace Through Valour project installed a monument at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto commemorating those brave Canadian soldiers who fought so hard to liberate Italy from the clutches of tyranny.
I have made available for each senator a commemorative book that pays homage to these courageous soldiers who embodied the spirit of Canada. They are available for you in the senators’ lounge.
On this eightieth anniversary of the liberation of Montecassino, I stand before you knowing full well why I am Canadian. I am proud of my Italian heritage, but as a Canadian I am proud to be carrying forward the legacy of resilience and honour instilled by the Canadian soldiers who fought for freedom and justice.
Thank you, honourable senators, for allowing me to share with you this personal story.
Grazie. Meegwetch.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
(Debate adjourned.)
(1530)
Business of the Senate
Hon. Patti LaBoucane-Benson (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, with leave of the Senate and notwithstanding rule 5-13(2), I move:
That the Senate do now adjourn.
The Hon. the Speaker: Is leave granted, honourable senators?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
(At 3:30 p.m., the Senate was continued until tomorrow at 2 p.m.)