Senator Gold, your government has stated its intention to bring forward a motion on hybrid Senate sittings for debate. As the government’s leader in the Senate, I’m sure you would never introduce a motion without it first being costed. Before we vote, can you tell us how much a hybrid Senate will cost?

Thank you for your question.

I’m smiling.

Senator, thank you for your question. The expenditure of public funds is a serious matter and I don’t mean to make light of it. As you know, CIBA approved the expenditure of considerable funds to provide for the technical equipment that would be necessary in anticipation of the need for hybrid sittings, and that was in excess of $400,000, if I recall.

There is no question that the holding of hybrid sittings will also increase the workload on administration who work behind the scenes to support both chamber sittings and those who are participating by video conference.

Without entering into debate, which would not be appropriate in Question Period, it is clearly the position of this government — and I hope of the chamber, and I know of many senators in the chamber — that this is a necessary step for us to ensure that senators from across this very large country have the ability to participate fully in our work and that we, as a Senate, give ourselves the opportunity to do our work in the fullest way possible, making due allowance for the very challenging circumstances that the pandemic has imposed upon us. I don’t have a final costing for it, but it is money well spent to ensure that the Senate does its job on behalf of all Canadians.

Senator Gold, I, along with many in the chamber, I’m sure, would appreciate receiving that number as soon as possible, as we are scheduled to start debating it later today. We haven’t even debated yet whether we should have a hybrid Senate, but a significant sum of taxpayers’ money, as you indicated, has already been spent on it. And, of course, that has also been done behind closed doors, so the Canadian public, whose money it is, doesn’t know how much, and most senators, who will be voting on it, don’t know how much at this point. So surely the Trudeau government, who is proposing this idea in the first place, must know how much. So if you could please provide us with that number as you prepare your speech and deliver your speech later today, that would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Again, senator, at the risk of belabouring the obvious, the expenditure of those funds that have been expended to date has been approved by CIBA. Our Senate processes were followed appropriately. I look forward to the debate that begins later today. I hope that it concludes quickly and successfully so that all senators can participate fully in our deliberations.