The Hon. the Speaker: Sorry, minister, your time has expired.

Senator Plett: Minister, it is nice to know that the NDP‑Liberal government is not a partisan government, I guess.

My next question on the carbon tax is from a constituent of yours in Newfoundland, but I do not think he will find much comfort in your last response. He is a senior living on a fixed income in Goulds. At $1.64 per litre today, gas is already unaffordable for those living on a fixed income. Diesel costs $2.23 per litre now, and, come July 1, it is easy to see how much more transportation costs for goods will be passed on to the public, driving up the cost of everything. Minister, it seems useless to ask you to get rid of the carbon tax because in November, you said you were thrilled by it. That is another direct quote from you: “thrilled.” How can you be thrilled to cause financial hardship to people across the province, especially seniors?

It’s funny because so many fellow members on my side of the House keep saying that the Conservatives in the last election didn’t have an answer for climate change. Indeed, they did. They ran on a price on pollution. They ran on a price on pollution. Their answer to it, instead of cash in pockets — which I like; I like putting cold, hard cash in people’s pockets — was to set up some sort of green committee that would determine what environmental things people could buy — kind of like an Amway catalogue. I prefer government get out of the way and return that cash directly to people’s pockets. That is the way it is designed, and it is the way it is working.

Hon. Seamus O’Regan, P.C., M.P., Minister of Labour: On the latter point, I will say that we will see what happens when we get the report. I think that will be determined shortly after that.

On the issue of replacement workers, we have an agreement with the New Democratic Party, or NDP, on a few matters. One of those matters is on replacement workers. We have committed to introducing legislation on that front by the end of this year. We will be introducing it into the House by the end of this year. It was a commitment we made in the platform. We renewed that commitment in the agreement with the NDP, and it was one that we announced consultations on late last year. I did that along with Senator Yussuff and my NDP colleague Alexandre Boulerice. It will differ from what my friend Mr. Boulerice has put forward in that and other PMBs — private members’ bills — in the House that have been introduced in that we consulted quite extensively, and we consulted on a tripartite level. We have a strong tradition in this country of doing that, particularly on labour legislation, where we sit down with business and with employees and we hash it out.

One thing that I’m very proud of, particularly on this issue of a ban on replacement workers, is that we sat down with everybody together. I attended those consultations myself. They went on for some time. They were what I would call messy. But I thought that that was necessary, because there are consequences for employers and employees.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Minister, your mandate letter says that you must “work with the Minister of Natural Resources in moving forward with legislation and comprehensive action to achieve . . .” your hated “just transition,” as you don’t like “JustinFlation.” “This work will be guided by consultations with workers, unions, Indigenous Peoples, employers, communities, and provinces and territories . . . .”

Minister, could you tell us what consultations you have made with provinces, specifically Alberta and Saskatchewan? Will you listen to the oil-and-gas-producing provinces and put this ridiculous notion of just transition where it belongs, in the garbage bin?

Senator Wells: It is about the emissions and the cost.

The Hon. the Speaker: Minister O’Regan.

Hon. Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia: Thank you, minister, for being here today.

Canada is facing an unprecedented shortage of doctors, nurses and many other health professionals. In our home province of Newfoundland and Labrador, our government has recently announced new measures to recruit internationally educated registered nurses, who can fill health care vacancies. Our government has also introduced legislation that will make medical licensing more streamlined.

Recognizing the provincial-federal jurisdictional divide, can you speak to what measures the Government of Canada is taking to help address these critical labour shortages, including in health care but also other sectors?

The Hon. the Speaker: Sorry, minister, but your time has expired.

Senator Bernard: We look forward to that report in the spring. Thank you.

Hon. Rebecca Patterson: Thank you, minister. I would like to ask a follow-up question concerning the Pay Equity Act.

We know that certain people are impacted by pay equity more than others, and they tend to be those working at lower rates of pay. Those particular rates of pay tend to be dominated by equity-seeking groups, and they also live very precariously because of it.

Hearing that it will take quite a period of time to get through at least the 4,600 requests — plus more — that will come in from employers, and recognizing that a plan must be built before the pay is going to be challenged or made equal, is there going to be any priority given in the assessment process to employers who have groups that are more traditionally in the lower end of the range and are more greatly composed of other equity-seeking groups?

Senator Duncan: Thank you.

[Translation]

Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: I will be brief. I admire your rather purist vision of journalism. You are right in saying that it is dangerous to take money from large, extremely powerful platforms, but I think we are already beyond that point since journalism in this country is receiving funding from the government. The government is no doubt the most heavily criticized entity in Canada, and now it is giving the media money.

As far as principles go, how is it any different to accept money from platforms that earn some money through journalism?

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Senator Simons, your time has expired. Are you requesting five minutes to answer more questions?

Senator Miville-Dechêne: Certainly.

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Senator Cotter, I have three more senators who want to ask questions. Are you willing to answer questions?

Senator Cotter: I’d be pleased to, yes.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Do we have an agreement for five minutes?

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Honourable senators, do we have an agreement for five minutes?

Hon. Leo Housakos: Would Senator Miville-Dechêne take a question?