Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): The discussions at cabinet are matters upon which, as you would know, honourable colleague, I cannot comment on. I can assure Canadians, however, that this government is, in fact, addressing this pressing problem to the best of its ability.

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question. I will take each and every one of those questions and refer them to the government and hope to get an answer in due course.

Senator Gold: Senator, I cannot answer that question for several reasons, not the least of which is that when and what Canada became aware of would have occurred through its security services. All senators will properly understand that those matters cannot be the subject of public disclosure.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?

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

Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Honourable senators, I see that this item is at day 15. Therefore, with leave of the Senate, I ask that consideration of this item be postponed until the next sitting of the Senate.

Hon. Bernadette Clement: Honourable senators, I note that this item is at day 15. Therefore, with leave of the Senate, I ask that consideration of this item be postponed until the next sitting of the Senate in the name of Senator Lankin.

Senator Martin: First of all, thank you for your speech, and for giving us an understanding of the journey in arriving at this place with this bill. It has been a long time. I really appreciated your personal testimony, as well as helping us understand what is in the bill.

I will focus on what is not in the bill, and what we could perhaps consider in a study of amendments from this chamber.

You mentioned “Innuizing” a space. I thought I would start with a question related to the Inuit representation: Natan Obed, President of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, a national Inuit organization, expressed his disappointment with this legislation at a press conference just last Friday. He said the bill could result in recommendations that may be completely out of sync with Inuit positions — with only one seat on a board of 9 to 13 people to be nominated by the organization. Mr. Obed believes that, had they been consulted when this legislation was first being considered, this would not have been the result.

I’m curious, senator, what would your response be to Mr. Obed and these concerns?

[Translation]

Senator Audette: I will be candid with you. I understand that position and reaction. I understand it. In a perfect world, when the bill was introduced in the other place, the democracy or power and discretion would have been left in the hands of our Indigenous leaders, who could determine whether one day we’re able to create something that meets the needs of the Inuit people, rather than creating large entities where we have to fight for a place among ourselves. Unfortunately, that divides us and puts us in situations where people are left wondering why them and not us?

In my heart, Mr. Obed has the right to share that message. We need to determine how we can then, when we are at the study and reflection stages, find something that he’s comfortable with or not, as a leader and an Inuit representative.

(1540)

Also, it’s important to remember that this organization must not take the place of existing relationships with the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. Nation-to-nation governments must remain and be maintained, and this council must not interfere with that. If I were in a position to make recommendations, and I’ll leave that up to you to decide, I would say that we must ensure that the door remains open for nations to withdraw or return, and that we must respect their choice if they decide not to return.

[English]

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Would the Honourable Senator Audette take a question?

[Translation]

Senator Audette: Yes, of course.

[English]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): The amendments that were introduced were not done in a “sneaky” fashion; they were done in a committee in the other place. More importantly, the government will always respect hunters, sports shooters and Indigenous peoples and their traditions. The government is not targeting hunting rifles or shotguns.

I know there has been confusion on this point, so let me be clear. Many of the hunting rifles mentioned recently in the media are not being prohibited, and that includes the one that was a part of a well-known photo by a very well-known personality from my hometown of Montreal. This is largely a matter of misunderstanding where, for example, a common hunting rifle also has a high-powered version. It is only the high-powered version that would be prohibited under the amendments introduced into the bill.

Having said all of that, as the Prime Minister has made clear, he and the government are open to feedback to make sure that firearms mainly used for hunting are not included in the prohibition. The bill, which I hope we will receive and have the opportunity to study properly and fully as we have always done, is about the guns that were used in the massacre at l’École Polytechnique, in a mosque in Quebec City and in South Simcoe. This is a bill to protect safe communities for Canadians.

Senator Plett: Senator Gold, I asked about this issue 40 days ago. Canadians expect that the minister would have made decisions by now on how to remedy this outrageous situation.

For the minister to say that this period has stress tested the system and that it has exposed some areas of vulnerability is simply not good enough. Leadership is not about blaming others and giving excuses; it is about having a plan forward and ensuring that Canadians get the services and the assistance they deserve — services that they, frankly, pay for.

Senator Gold, I will repeat my question: What is the Minister of Transportation doing? What is your government doing to address this backlog? What is the plan to address the growing number of complaints at the Canadian Transportation Agency?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Senator Gold, on October 27, I asked your colleague Minister Alghabra a question on the backlog of complaints due to flight delays and cancellations at the Canadian Transportation Agency.

At the time your colleague said:

I have met with the chair of the CTA just recently, first, wanting to get briefed by her on the situation, the volume of complaints and the resources that are needed. Our government is now working with the CTA on making sure they have the resources they need.

And yet we are reading in Blacklock’s this morning that the number of complaints has now reached 30,000, and the minister is now saying that cabinet is “figuring out how we can improve the system.”

Senator Gold, your government is constantly working at a snail’s pace when it comes to providing services to Canadians. Can you please share with us what your government is doing in “figuring out how” to improve the system?

Senator Martin: Do you think that the government is open to potential amendments to this bill from our chamber based upon your conversations?

[Translation]

Senator Audette: In my heart, officially, yes, it must be open to that. If I agree to participate in an initiative, I don’t want to be someone who just rubber stamps everything. If we can improve things, or if we can disagree and still do so in this place, that has to be honoured, Senator Martin.

[English]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, senator. The government knows full well that the EI, or Employment Insurance, system which is needed for the 21st century is one that needs to be developed and that the current system needs to be modernized to that end.

The government remains committed to strengthening the rights for workers who were employed, for example, in digital platforms and to establishing new provisions to the Income Tax Act to ensure that their work counts towards EI and CPP — the Canada Pension Plan. Indeed, with Budget 2022, the government is investing $110 million to extend the existing seasonal pilot until October of 2023.

I also note that the government consulted widely with unions, workers, employers and other partners to build an EI system that meets the needs of Canadians going forward. As you referenced in your question, consultations have come to a close, and the government is in the process of analyzing the information that it received.

It is a serious business to modernize an EI system that serves millions of Canadians every year. The government looks forward to presenting its long-term plan for comprehensive EI modernization. It’s taking the time to get it right.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. I don’t know the actual date, but I will remind this chamber that the minister welcomed Madam Justice Arbour’s final report in its entirety, welcomed all of her recommendations and committed to implementing 17 of them immediately.

I’ll make some inquiries. If I have an answer before we rise, I’d be happy to share it with this chamber.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Parliament of Canada on Specific COVID-19 Benefits, pursuant to the Act to provide further support in response to COVID-19, S.C. 2021, c. 26, s. 19.1.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Professor Kelly Saunders, interns from the Manitoba Legislative Assembly Internship Program and interns from the Parliamentary Internship Program. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Osler.

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

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): I guess we will have to wait another 40 days, I will ask the question again and hopefully not get the same answer.

In a new report entitled Patrol and Persuade, Safeguard Defenders, a human rights organization based in Spain, found dozens of additional overseas Chinese police service centres around the world, including at least two right here in Canada.

Senator Gold, your government has told us that it is taking the matter seriously and investigating. Why then do we have to find out what is happening in our own country from an organization operating overseas? Had the government identified these additional stations prior to this report? If so, why was this information not shared with the public? Most importantly, why are these illegal police stations still operating on Canadian soil?