Senator Housakos: Government leader, you have to admit, it’s highly unusual for a minister of the Crown to feel compelled to write a letter to the chair of the CRTC asking her to respect Canadians’ rights and freedoms in regard to a law that hasn’t even gotten out of the door of the House of Commons. Clearly, even the minister himself felt compelled to have to do that. That in itself should raise some questions.

Senator Gold, yesterday, I asked you about the taxpayer-funded CBC announcing plans to move its operations entirely online. Senator Gold, the CBC can, to use your words, “speculate” and “anticipate” all it wants about the future but receives funding now to provide a service now to all Canadians in all regions.

My question is a simple one and one that we should all want an answer to: Would the aforementioned minister responsible be willing to write another letter in his nifty letter-writing campaign to the CRTC chair to ask her to guarantee that CBC funds are being used properly in alignment with their licensing obligations, or is it a one-letter-a-week policy by the Minister of Canadian Heritage to the CRTC?

Senator Gold: The role of the CBC is an important one in this country, despite the constant attacks, which, I gather, did not date from just yesterday from the opposition. It’s a serious role. I’m going to try to answer in a serious way.

The CBC provides an essential and important service to Canadians, has done so in the past, continues to do so in the present and, for many Canadians, will continue to do so in the future.

It is an institution that has helped bind our country together. Reasonable people can disagree about whether market forces alone should govern broadcasting in Canada. I know there is quite a difference of opinion within this chamber, and I respect that in a democracy.

But the denigration of the contribution that the CBC makes to Canada as a whole, and that Radio-Canada makes to our Province of Quebec and to francophones outside of Quebec in giving them the ability to have a voice and a vehicle and a platform for the expression of identity and culture, is what makes this country distinctive and without which this country would not be the great country that we so properly celebrate here.

I would ask colleagues to take a moment before trotting out, dare I say — I apologize if that was disrespectful — the ideologically driven talking points that have less to do with the reality of what the CBC and our public broadcasting does for the benefit of Canadians, and think about the quality of life that has been created thanks to our national institutions, a central one of which is Radio-Canada and the CBC.

Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Senator Gold, let’s shift once again to Global Affairs, and put our eyes outside our shores to the very tragic situation in Turkey and northern Syria. More than 11,000 people have now been reported to have fallen victims to the earthquake. I want to, first of all, congratulate the government, and please do convey this to them, on the quick announcement of $10 million of aid to the earthquake victims and then, shortly following that, a pledge to match the donations of Canadians who are opening their hearts, minds and wallets through the Red Cross. That’s really good news.

I met today, however coincidentally, with the Red Cross. They are here in Ottawa for International Development Week. They alerted me to the fact that getting aid to Syria is more complex, partly because of what they have been through in these long years of war and partly because we have imposed sanctions. Some of these sanctions prevent aid from getting to the people in need, almost like what is happening in Afghanistan.

I want to ask you to please make the government aware of this issue and ensure us that they will consider this as they flow their aid to Syria. Thank you.

Senator Omidvar: Thank you, Senator Gold. I’m curious as to why the government, however, chooses to match the donations of Canadians only to the Red Cross. The Red Cross is a wonderful organization. I give to them. Many of us give to them. They deliver on the ground. But this is such a complex situation, and there are wonderful organizations such as GlobalMedic, Médecins Sans Frontières Canada and World Vision. I’m just wondering why there is this sole-source contract, if I may call it that, to the Red Cross, as opposed to a diversity of investments to deal with the problem that is so tragic. Would you look into that?

Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Thank you, Senator Black, for that question. It’s a timely one, as we are almost ready to complete our deliberations. Sadly, as you know, suicide does not recognize boundaries of a city or a town. It lives within the boundaries of the mind. But unfortunately, it is part of our national narrative regardless of size and region.

We have heard from a number of witnesses, Senator Black, on the issues that you have raised. On the one hand is the imbalance, I would say, between the need for services and the access to resources. We heard, in particular, from remote northern communities and we heard about the Inuit and Indigenous realities. We also heard from a medical professional with an interesting framework addressing the questions that you have put on the table in terms of rural responders and access.

We have also had some discussions on the higher incidence of firearm ownership in rural communities and the link to suicide, as suicide by firearm is far more lethal than other means. However, our study is not a study about suicide. It is a study that evaluates the national suicide prevention framework. It’s therefore a big-picture look at the troubling rate of suicide and what the framework needs to do to address its priorities, actions, outcomes and reporting going forward.

I hope the chamber will welcome the report that we will table not too far off in the future and look at its proposals that we are making to the Government of Canada. I hope that answers your question, Senator Black.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Government leader, in light of last night’s State of the Union Address, President Biden stated:

. . . I’m also announcing new standards to require all construction materials used in federal infra- — infrastructure projects to be made in America. . . . Made in America. . . . Lumber, glass, drywall, fiber-optic cable.

And on my watch, American roads, bridges, and American highways are going to be made with American products . . . .

If this comes to pass, leader, Canadian businesses and Canadian workers will be shut out by the Biden Administration. It will have an extremely negative impact on both of our countries due to the integration of our economies and supply chains.

Senator Gold, what specific actions are being taken by the Trudeau government today to counter this latest “buy America” threat?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. Yes, the relationship that Canada has on trade with the United States is a long-standing one, a productive one and a mutually beneficial one, but it has never been without these tensions, regardless of who occupies the White House or who is in control of Congress. The fact is that there has been a strain of protectionism in the United States that is long-standing, and we have our own issues as well that we feel are important to protect the interests of our own consumers and our own producers.

Canada has been very successful historically in prosecuting its interest in relation to United States protectionism and we will continue to do so. This is not a punctual issue. It’s an ongoing regular part of Canada’s relationships with the United States, has been since before the State of the Union Address yesterday and will continue to be so afterwards. Our track record is pretty good at defending our interests in relation to trade with the United States, but it would be folly to assume that these issues will ever go away. And in this case, I think it’s fair to say the United States is in, yet again, a cycle of perpetual electioneering and politicking.

When we put all of those factors together, speeches are made, legislative initiatives are being contemplated and the Canadian government has been working on this for months, if not years, behind the scenes, as it typically does and has done with great success and will continue to do so.

Senator Gold: Senator Plett, your loyalty to your former leader and nostalgia for those days are actually quite touching.

This government, like all Canadian governments, works tirelessly with its American counterparts to pursue our interests and the interests of our workers and consumers. It has been successful. This government was remarkably successful during the period of the Trump presidency, especially when that president decided to renegotiate a free trade agreement. Canada did exceptionally well.

We have a strong team, both political and in the public service, and we will continue to benefit from the strong leadership of this government in protecting Canadian interests against those who would challenge them.

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