The Members convened were:

The Honourable Senators

AndreychukAtaullahjanBakerBattersBellemareBeyakBlackBoisvenuCampbellCarignanChaputCoolsCowanDagenaisDawsonDayDemersDowneDoyleDyckEatonEggletonEnvergaFraserFrumFureyGersteinGreeneHervieux-PayetteHousakosHubleyJafferJohnsonJoyalKennyLangLovelace NicholasMaltaisManningMarshallMartinMassicotteMcCoyMcInnisMcIntyreMercerMerchantMeredithMitchellMocklerMunsonNancy RuthNgoOgilvieOhPattersonPlettPoirierRaineRinguetteRivardRuncimanSeidmanSibbestonSmith (Cobourg)Smith (Saurel)Stewart OlsenTannasTkachukWallaceWallinWattWellsWhite

The Members in attendance to business were:

The Honourable Senators

AndreychukAtaullahjanBakerBattersBellemareBeyakBlackBoisvenuCampbellCarignanChaputCools*CordyCowanDagenaisDawsonDayDemersDowneDoyleDyckEatonEggletonEnvergaFraserFrumFureyGersteinGreeneHervieux-PayetteHousakosHubleyJafferJohnsonJoyalKennyLangLovelace Nicholas*MacDonaldMaltaisManningMarshallMartinMassicotteMcCoyMcInnisMcIntyreMercerMerchantMeredithMitchellMockler*MooreMunsonNancy RuthNgoOgilvieOhPattersonPlettPoirierRaineRinguetteRivardRuncimanSeidmanSibbestonSmith (Cobourg)Smith (Saurel)Stewart OlsenTannasTkachukWallaceWallinWattWellsWhite

The first list records senators present in the Senate Chamber during the course of the sitting.

An asterisk in the second list indicates a senator who, while not present during the sitting, was in attendance to business, as defined in subsections 8(2) and (3) of the Senators Attendance Policy.

PRAYERS

Senators’ Statements

Some Honourable Senators made statements.

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS

Tabling of Documents

The Honourable the Speaker tabled the following:

Annual Report of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada for the year ended March 31, 2015, entitled: Protecting Personal Information and Public Trust, pursuant to the Privacy Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. P-21, s. 38. —Sessional Paper No. 1/42-24.

Presenting or Tabling Reports from Committees

The Honourable Senator Marshall presented the following:

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

The Committee of Selection has the honour to present its

FIRST REPORT

Your committee wishes to inform the Senate that it nominates the Honourable Senator Eaton as Speaker pro tempore.

Respectfully submitted,

The Honourable Senator Marshall moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Ngo, that the report be placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting.

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

o o o

The Honourable Senator Marshall presented the following:

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

The Committee of Selection has the honour to present its

SECOND REPORT

Pursuant to rule 12-2(2) of the Rules of the Senate, your committee submits herewith the list of senators nominated by it to serve on the following committees:

Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples

The Honourable Senators Beyak, Carignan, P.C., Enverga, Dyck, Lovelace Nicholas, Moore, Patterson, Plett, Raine, Sibbeston, Tannas and Wells.

Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry

The Honourable Senators Beyak, Dagenais, Maltais, McIntyre, Mercer, Merchant, Moore, Ogilvie, Oh, Plett, Tardif and Unger.

Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce

The Honourable Senators Bellemare, Black, Campbell, Gerstein, Greene, Hervieux-Payette, P.C., Maltais, Massicotte, Ringuette, Smith (Saurel), Tannas and Tkachuk.

Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources

The Honourable Senators Bellemare, Frum, Johnson, MacDonald, Massicotte, McCoy, Mockler, Mitchell, Neufeld, Patterson, Ringuette and Seidman.

Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans

The Honourable Senators Enverga, Hubley, Lovelace Nicholas, Manning, Martin, McInnis, Munson, Poirier, Raine, Stewart Olsen, Watt and Wells.

Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade

The Honourable Senators Andreychuk, Ataullahjan, Cordy, Dawson, Downe, Housakos, Johnson, Ngo, Oh, Poirier, Rivard and Smith, P.C. (Cobourg).

Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights

The Honourable Senators Andreychuk, Ataullahjan, Cordy, Frum, Hubley, Munson, Nancy Ruth, Ngo and Plett.

Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration

The Honourable Senators Batters, Campbell, Cordy, Downe, Doyle, Housakos, Jaffer, Lang, Manning, Marshall, Munson, Smith (Saurel), Tannas, Tkachuk and Wells.

Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs

The Honourable Senators Baker, P.C., Batters, Dagenais, Fraser, Jaffer, Joyal, P.C., McInnis, McIntyre, Plett, Runciman, Wells and White.

Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament

The Honourable Senators Ataullahjan, Eaton, Mercer, Merchant and Rivard.

Standing Senate Committee on National Finance

The Honourable Senators Bellemare, Campbell, Cowan, Eaton, Gerstein, Hervieux-Payette, P.C., Manning, Marshall, Mitchell, Mockler, Neufeld and Smith (Saurel).

Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence

The Honourable Senators Beyak, Carignan, P.C., Dagenais, Day, Kenny, Lang, Mitchell, Ngo and White.

Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages

The Honourable Senators Fraser, Jaffer, Maltais, McIntyre, Poirier, Rivard, Seidman, Tardif and Wells.

Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament

The Honourable Senators Batters, Cools, Doyle, Fraser, Frum, Jaffer, Joyal, P.C., Martin, McInnis, Ogilvie, Seidman, Smith, P.C. (Cobourg), Tkachuk, Wells and White.

Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations

The Honourable Senators Carignan, P.C., Frum, Martin, McCoy, Moore, Plett, Runciman and Smith, P.C. (Cobourg).

Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology

The Honourable Senators Carignan, P.C., Cowan, Eggleton, P.C., Frum, Martin, Merchant, Munson, Nancy Ruth, Ogilvie, Raine, Seidman and Stewart Olsen.

Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications

The Honourable Senators Black, Dawson, Eggleton, P.C., Frum, Greene, MacDonald, Martin, Mercer, Plett, Ringuette, Runciman and Unger.

Pursuant to rule 12-3(3) of the Rules of the Senate, the Honourable Senator Carignan, P.C., (or Martin) is ex officio member of all committees except the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators and the joint committees.

Respectfully submitted,

The Honourable Senator Marshall moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Ngo, that the report be placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting.

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

Introduction and First Reading of Senate Public Bills

The Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C., introduced Bill S-212, An Act for the advancement of the aboriginal languages of Canada and to recognize and respect aboriginal language rights.

The bill was read the first time.

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

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

o o o

The Honourable Senator Mercer introduced Bill S-213, An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 and the Parliament of Canada Act (Speakership of the Senate).

The bill was read the first time.

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

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

Orders of the Day

Government Business

Motions

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Jaffer, seconded by the Honourable Senator Cordy:

That the following Address be presented to His Excellency the Governor General of Canada:

To His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Military Merit, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY:

We, Her Majesty’s most loyal and dutiful subjects, the Senate of Canada in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Excellency for the gracious Speech which Your Excellency has addressed to both Houses of Parliament.

After debate,

Further debate on the motion was adjourned until the next sitting in the name of the Honourable Senator MacDonald.

MOTIONS

The Honourable Senator Carignan, P.C., moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Martin:

That, notwithstanding usual practice, the Senate invite any Minister of the Crown who is not a member of the Senate to enter the chamber during any future Question Period and take part in proceedings by responding to questions relating to his or her ministerial responsibilities, subject to the Rules and practices of the Senate.

After debate,

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

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

o o o

The Honourable Senator Wallace moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator McCoy:

That the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament, when and if it is formed, be authorized to examine and report on Senate practices, and provisions in the Rules of the Senate, relating to committees, including senators’ memberships on committees, in order to evaluate whether all senators:

(a) are, in practice, treated equally, and with fairness and equity, irrespective of whether they sit as government members, as opposition members, as members of recognized parties or as independent senators; and

(b) have reasonable and equal opportunities to fully participate in and contribute, through committee work and membership, to this chamber’s role as a complementary legislative body of sober second thought, thereby enabling all senators to adequately fulfill their constitutional roles and responsibilities;

That in conducting this evaluation the Rules Committee pay particular attention to:

(a) the process for selecting members of the Committee of Selection, so that all senators can be considered for membership on that committee, and so that the interests of all senators, whether they sit as government members, as opposition members, as members of recognized parties or as independent senators, are represented in the membership of that committee; and

(b) the process whereby the Committee of Selection develops its recommendations for membership of the other committees;

That the Rules Committee also take into account the anticipated increase in the number of senators who are not members of a recognized party and how this emerging reality should be taken into account, including during the current session;

That the Rules Committee recommend necessary amendments to the Rules and adjustments in Senate practice based upon the results of its examination; and

That the Rules Committee present its final report on this study to the Senate no later than March 31, 2016.

After debate,

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

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

ADJOURNMENT

The Honourable Senator Fraser moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Smith, P.C. (Cobourg):

That the Senate do now adjourn.

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

(Accordingly, at 4:01 p.m., the Senate was continued until tomorrow at 2 p.m.)

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

Reports of the Security Intelligence Review Committee for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, pursuant to the Access to Information Act and to the Privacy Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. A-1 and P-21, sbs. 72(2).—Sessional Paper No. 1/42-21.

Reports of the Privy Council Office for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, pursuant to the Access to Information Act and to the Privacy Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. A-1 and P-21, sbs. 72(2).—Sessional Paper No. 1/42-22.

Summary of the Corporate Plan for 2015-2016 to 2019-2020 of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation, pursuant to the Financial Administration Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-11, sbs. 125(4).—Sessional Paper No. 1/42-23.