The Hon. the Speaker: Is leave granted, honourable senators?

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

Senator Gold: I’m sorry, senator — and thank you for your question — but I don’t accept the premise. Mr. Barton appeared before a committee in the other house. I know the focus of much of the questioning from members of the opposition was to try to depict his relationship with the Prime Minister in terms that, as it turns out, are not at all correct. It’s unfortunate, as there are more important questions about how we can improve and what the right balance to be struck between our professional public service and consultants is going forward as the world changes, and as human resources are challenged.

I spent a fair bit of time yesterday providing answers to a large number of questions, both written and oral. I’ll continue to make my best efforts to get answers in a timely fashion.

Senator Gold: I’ll certainly look into it. I’m tempted to speculate, and that’s not my job to do. I will make some inquiries and be happy to report back.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of our former colleague the Honourable James S. Cowan and his wife, Sheila Cowan, as well as Jacques Chagnon, former speaker of the National Assembly of Quebec. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Dawson.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

Hon. Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia: Honourable senators, my arrival on the Hill, like many of yours, was a vortex of confusion: phone calls, endless meetings, signatures, security screenings, group canvassing and an overwhelming sense of dislocation. On day two, while wandering around in a state of disassociation, Senator MacDonald kindly directed me to my hotel on Kent Street. On my way there, I decided to grab a bite of comfort food — spaghetti and meatballs — from the Bier Markt.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a rather dapper gent making his way towards me. Flowing locks and a bright bow tie reflected in the bright sunshine. “Oh, my god, it’s Eric Clapton,” I thought. You look wonderful tonight. He said, “Hello, senator. I’m Dennis Dawson, one of your colleagues in the chamber. May I join you?”

We spent the next two hours covering a wide array of topics: politics, our role as parliamentarians, the subtleties of the chamber of sober second thought and life in general. The weight of confusion that I was feeling at the time began to dissipate and felt that this moment of serendipity was truly seminal. In the face of my perceived confusion and despair, Dennis had appeared as a compass and beacon in his quiet, unassuming way, a political stalwart who had taken the time to reach out to me with kindness, warmth and camaraderie, his mischievous sense of humour demonstrated repeatedly with a twinkle in those eyes. You held my hand when I most needed an anchor.

In the next chapter of our friendship, I had the privilege to witness his remarkable political skills on the international stage. At an Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting in Serbia, accompanied by Senator Saint-Germain and Senator Ataullahjan, I witnessed Dennis seamlessly navigate the complexities of an international parliamentary gathering where contentious issues were debated, and I marvelled as he expertly navigated these issues with aplomb and clarity. He defined and protected the rights of the LGBTQ2S community, supporting universal health access and minority rights.

His passion for his beloved Quebec and his unwavering Liberal roots have shaped a remarkable career. Dennis, my friend, you have impacted and influenced so many of us in this chamber, and I will always reflect fondly on your kindness and generosity to me personally. I wish you nothing but the best in your next chapter. Our loss will be your beautiful family’s gain.

[Translation]

Good luck, my friend. Thank you. Meegwetch.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. It’s an important one. Clearly, I don’t have the answer. Part of the reason is that the government is going to be working with Indigenous leadership and communities to make sure that the money — and this is a historic and first-time initiative, which the government is proud of — is allocated in the right way that meets the needs.

In fact, a number of us today had lunch with, at his invitation, the Minister of Health and also Minister Bennett, and this subject was discussed. One of our colleagues — who is not in the chamber so I should not mention her name — raised this directly, and there was a clear commitment and understanding on the part — I’m looking for colleagues who were there to verify what I’m saying.

Senator Plett: We weren’t invited.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

[Translation]

Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That, when the Senate next adjourns after the adoption of this motion, it do stand adjourned until Tuesday, February 14, 2023, at 2 p.m.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Dr. Kwame McKenzie. He is the guest of the Honourable Senator Omidvar.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Mayor Corrie DiManno, Town of Banff and Mr. Kelly Gibson, Town Manager. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Sorensen.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Ms. Kerline Joseph. She is the guest of the Honourable Senator Mégie.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Michel Wong and Suzanne Wong. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Gerba.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

Hon. Raymonde Gagné (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.

Hon. Claude Carignan: Honourable senators, the first ministers’ meeting on health care took place yesterday. Prime Minister Trudeau had announced that he would make a substantial offer to premiers with respect to increasing health transfers in light of current needs. He offered $4.6 billion a year over 10 years. That’s only 16% of what the provinces and territories were asking for. That falls far short of being a substantial offer and is nowhere near the type of funding that would help support health systems and address the issues they’ve been having.

Leader, I understand that in a negotiation some strategists may decide to start off with a low or ridiculous offer, but that is rarely met with success. Don’t you believe that the federal government, by offering 16% of the funding requested, is sending a message to the provinces and territories that 84% of what they requested isn’t needed to maintain and improve health care?

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Anne Laberge, Senator Dawson’s wife; Cindy Dawson, his daughter; Julian Dawson, his son; Don Dawson, his brother; and Doris Dawson, his sister. They are accompanied by other family and friends.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question.

If I understood one aspect of the question, allow me to correct the record. The contract to which you refer, Senator Plett, which is going to be “sunsetting,” as you said, in 77 years, or something like that, is not a contract at all; it’s a supply arrangement. It doesn’t guarantee any monetary arrangement. It is simply a pre‑selection of supply. Hundreds of suppliers have arrangements of that kind. It’s a long-standing government practice that aims to expedite the procurement process.

I could go on, but I’ll turn to the other aspects of your question.

Indeed, lots of contracts with McKinsey and others have been undertaken by this government. Such services are used to complement the services of our very able and professional public service. They meet unexpected fluctuations in human resources and workload or, as is often the case, where special expertise is required, and it would be imprudent to bring on new full-time employees for work that has a more fixed timeline.

As we know, colleagues, the Prime Minister has asked Minister Jaczek and Minister Fortier to review the matter, take a closer look into the numbers and look into the circumstances of all those contracts. The government is looking at this matter to make sure that everything was done in the right way.

I understand that the focus of the Treasury Board rests on the policy underlying the granting of such consultancy contracts, while PSPC — Public Services and Procurement Canada — will focus on the circumstances surrounding those contracts. The government looks forward to the results of those inquiries and to sharing that with the public.