The Members convened were:

The Honourable Senators

AndreychukAtaullahjanBattersBellemareBernardBeyakBlack (Alberta)Black (Ontario)BoisvenuBonifaceBoveyBrazeauCampbellCarignanChristmasCoolsCordyCormierCoyleDagenaisDawsonDayDeanDowneDoyleDuffyDupuisDyckEatonEggletonForestFrumFureyGagnéGoldGreeneGriffinHarderHartlingHousakosJoyalLankinLovelace NicholasMaltaisMarshallMartinMarwahMassicotteMcCallumMcCoyMcInnisMcIntyreMcPhedranMégieMercerMitchellMocklerMoncionNeufeldNgoOhOmidvarPatePattersonPetitclercPoirierPratteRichardsSaint-GermainSeidmanSinclairSmithStewart OlsenTannasTkachukWattWellsWetstonWoo

The Members in attendance to business were:

The Honourable Senators

AndreychukAtaullahjanBattersBellemareBernardBeyakBlack (Alberta)Black (Ontario)BoisvenuBonifaceBoveyBrazeauCampbellCarignanChristmasCoolsCordyCormierCoyleDagenaisDawsonDayDeanDowneDoyleDuffyDupuisDyckEatonEggletonForestFrumFureyGagnéGoldGreeneGriffinHarderHartlingHousakosJoyalLankinLovelace Nicholas*MacDonaldMaltais*ManningMarshallMartinMarwahMassicotteMcCallumMcCoyMcInnisMcIntyreMcPhedranMégieMercerMitchellMocklerMoncion*MunsonNeufeldNgoOhOmidvarPatePattersonPetitclercPoirierPratte*RaineRichardsSaint-GermainSeidmanSinclairSmithStewart OlsenTannasTkachukWattWellsWetstonWoo

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

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

PRAYERS

Senators’ Statements

Tributes

Tribute was paid to the Honourable Senator Watt, who will resign from the Senate on March 16, 2018.

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS

Tabling of Documents

The Honourable the Speaker tabled the following:

Report of the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, entitled Supplementary Estimates (C) 2017-18, pursuant to the Parliament of Canada Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. P-1, sbs. 79.2(2).—Sessional Paper No. 1/42-1878.

o o o

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

Budget 2018, entitled Equality + Growth: A Strong Middle Class.—Sessional Paper No. 1/42-1879.

Government response to the thirteenth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, entitled A turning point in Canada-Argentina Relations?, tabled in the Senate on June 1, 2017.—Sessional Paper No. 1/42-1880S.

(Pursuant to rule 12-24(4), the report and the response were deemed referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade.)

Question Period

The Senate proceeded to Question Period.

Orders of the Day

Government Business

Motions

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

That, in accordance with subsection 54(1) of the Access to Information Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. A-1, the Senate approve the appointment of Caroline Maynard as Information Commissioner.

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

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

Bills – Third Reading

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Wetston, seconded by the Honourable Senator Cormier, for the third reading of Bill C-25, An Act to amend the Canada Business Corporations Act, the Canada Cooperatives Act, the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act and the Competition Act, as amended.

And on the motion in amendment of the Honourable Senator Massicotte, seconded by the Honourable Senator Christmas:

That Bill C-25, as amended, be not now read a third time, but that it be further amended in clause 24,

(a)on page 9, by adding the following after line 31:

“172.01 A prescribed corporation shall establish numerical goals, such as percentages, for the representation of persons in each designated group, as defined by regulation, among its directors and among members of senior management, as defined by regulation, and shall establish a timetable for attaining those goals, within one year after the day on which this section comes into force.”; and

(b)on page 10,

(i)by adding the following after line 2:

“(1.1) The directors shall also place before the shareholders, at every annual meeting beginning one year after the day on which the numerical goals referred to in section 172.01 are established and until the corporation has attained those goals, a report on the progress made by the corporation in the previous year in terms of attaining those goals.”,

(ii)by replacing lines 3 to 5 (as replaced by the decision of the Senate on February 7, 2018) with the following:

“(2) The corporation shall provide the information referred to in subsections (1) and (1.1) to each shareholder, except to a share-”, and

(iii) by replacing lines 7 to 9 (as replaced by the decision of the Senate on February 7, 2018) with the following:

“they do not want to receive that information, by sending the information along with the notice referred to in subsection 135(1) or by making the information available along with a proxy circular referred to in subsection 150(1).

(3) The corporation shall concurrently send the information referred to in subsections (1) and (1.1) to the Director in the form that the Director fixes and the Director shall file it.

(4) The Director shall, within three months after receiving it, provide the Minister with the information filed under subsection (3).

(5) The Minister shall prepare and cause to be laid before each House of Parliament, on any of the first 15 days on which that House is sitting after October 31, an annual report for the previous year containing an aggregate of the data from the information received under subsection (4). The Minister shall also, after it is tabled, make the report available to the public.”.

After debate,

The question being put on the motion in amendment, it was negatived on the following vote:

YEAS

The Honourable Senators

BernardBonifaceBoveyCampbellCordyCoyleDawsonDayDeanEggletonForestGagnéGreeneGriffinHartlingJoyalLankinLovelace NicholasMassicotteMcCallumMcPhedranMégieMercerMoncionOmidvarPatePetitclercPratteSinclairWatt—30

NAYS

The Honourable Senators

AndreychukAtaullahjanBattersBellemareBeyakBlack (Alberta)BoisvenuBrazeauChristmasCoolsDagenaisDowneDoyleDuffyEatonFrumHarderHousakosMaltaisMarshallMartinMcCoyMitchellMocklerNgoOhPattersonPoirierRichardsSeidmanSmithStewart OlsenTannasTkachukWellsWetstonWoo—37

ABSTENTIONS

The Honourable Senators

Black (Centre Wellington)CarignanCormierDupuisDyckGoldMarwahMcIntyreSaint-Germain—9

ADJOURNMENT

At 4:15 p.m., pursuant to the order adopted by the Senate on February 4, 2016, the Senate adjourned until 1:30 p.m., tomorrow.

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Changes in Membership of Committees Pursuant to Rule 12-5

Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry

The Honourable Senator Woo replaced the Honourable Senator Gold (February 28, 2018).

The Honourable Senator Bovey replaced the Honourable Senator Pratte (February 28, 2018).

Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration

The Honourable Senator McCallum replaced the Honourable Senator Verner, P.C. (February 28, 2018).

Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament

The Honourable Senator Frum replaced the Honourable Senator Poirier (February 28, 2018).

Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations

The Honourable Senator Gold replaced the Honourable Senator Woo (February 28, 2018).

Special Senate Committee on Senate Modernization

The Honourable Senator Maltais replaced the Honourable Senator Neufeld (February 28, 2018).

The Honourable Senator Verner, P.C., replaced the Honourable Senator Gold (February 28, 2018).

Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications

The Honourable Senator Housakos replaced the Honourable Senator McIntyre (February 28, 2018).