Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Would Senator Boisvenu agree to take a question? Since we’re repeating the debate a bit and we already had it in committee, Senator Boisvenu, I understand that the list of offences that you propose adding that will make a release in these conditions impossible, isn’t exactly the same list that currently exists in the Criminal Code. What led you to remove some of the offences that were in the Criminal Code and add others in their place?

Senator Dalphond: If I understand correctly, it’s the same amendment that was presented to the committee? That list is the one that is currently in the Criminal Code, except for certain elements that were deleted and others that were added?

Senator Boisvenu: Yes, that’s right.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Are honourable senators ready for the question on the amendment as amended?

Hon. Leo Housakos: I request that further debate be adjourned in my name for the balance of my time.

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

Hon Senators: Agreed.

(Debate postponed until the next sitting of the Senate.)

(At 5:10 p.m., the Senate was continued until Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at 2 p.m.)

Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: Colleagues, it is my pleasure to welcome to the Senate Dr. Tobias Schmid and Dr. Laura Braam who represent the Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.

I rise to highlight how Germany is ahead of Canada in terms of laws and regulations to protect children and youth from online harm. German media authorities have been very generous in sharing information with me on a subject that is very important to me: protecting children from exposure to online pornography.

Germany has already taken action to block an international porn site in Germany, xHamster, because it did not verify the age of its users to ensure that only adults were accessing the site. The German regulator just won a major court battle against MindGeek, Pornhub’s Montreal-based parent company, which challenged the constitutionality of these actions.

Dr. Schmid and Dr. Braam are determined regulators and citizens who take their mission very seriously. There’s a lot of resistance right now. The major free porn sites don’t yet comply with any laws; they don’t check their clients’ age, be they in Germany or France. The hope is that other countries, such as Canada, Great Britain and Australia, will follow suit. If more countries require porn sites to act responsibly, children will be better protected from being bombarded by pornographic images that can be traumatizing, violent and degrading and that are freely available on the internet.

Thank you.

Senator Dalphond: In the case of the two you deleted, I understand that you agree with the government that they need to be removed?

Hon. Senators: Question.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Are honourable senators ready for the question?

Some Hon. Senators: Agreed.

Hon. Senators: Question.

Senator Boisvenu: I have another question. The last three or four rulings of the Supreme Court in matters of domestic violence, and those of the Quebec Court of Appeal in particular, found that judges need to impose harsher sentences. We need to send Canadian society a clear message. Does Bill C-5 send a tough message regarding domestic violence?

[English]

Senator Simons: Yes, if you like.

Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, with leave of the Senate and notwithstanding rule 5-5(g), I move:

That, when the Senate next adjourns after the adoption of this motion, it do stand adjourned until Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at 2 p.m.

Senator Gold: Without further context, in the year 2012, Prime Minister Harper took two trips, leading a delegation. He went to Davos in 2012. That cost $566,000. Adjusted for inflation, that is $709,000 representing Canada. In the same year, Prime Minister Harper went to China, and was accompanied by a delegation of 30 Canadian chief executive officers. That trip cost $972,000. The Canadian government under Prime Minister Harper covered the expenses of those 30 Canadian chief executive officers. That’s frugality.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of our former colleague the Honourable Grant Mitchell.

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

Hon. Jean-Guy Dagenais: My question is for the government leader, who certainly won’t dare question my preamble, as I’ll be quoting figures from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, or CMHC.

To counter the current housing crisis, the CMHC estimates that Canada will need 3,5 million new housing units by 2030; that is staggering. Quebec will need 1.3 million new housing units by 2030 to establish some sort of normalcy.

The CMHC states that 84% of immigrants entering Canada begin as renters, and it’s clear to everyone that the majority of immigrants choose to settle in big cities such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

When the Minister of Immigration, Mr. Fraser, says he wants to increase the number of immigrants that Canada will welcome by 2025 to 500,000, can you tell us what he saw in his crystal ball as options for housing all these newcomers, when Canadians are already having a tough time finding a suitable place to live at a reasonable price for their family?

Will the minister’s lack of compassion force newcomers to stay in a hotel for 12 to 18 months at the taxpayer’s expense?