Senator Gold: Thank you for your question. We do want the same things, and this government disagrees with the opposition on the best way to get there. The government believes that the price on pollution — the carbon tax — is, in fact, the best way to go forward, and the government is also of the view that the subsidies that are going directly to families in those jurisdictions in which the tax is imposed is also a fair way to mitigate the impact of it.

The government is always considering and reconsidering the policy instruments that it uses. That’s what a responsible government does.

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.

Senator Martin: Last week at COP 27, Minister Guilbeault issued a challenge to other countries: they should copy Canada and impose a carbon tax.

Senator Gold, how many countries have decided to imitate Canada in imposing more taxes on their citizens in order to fight climate change?

Senator Gold: I don’t have the number of other countries that are using this particular method and approach.

I will underline — as I have done on many other occasions, and as all senators know — that, of all the different measures to address climate change, carbon tax is the one most supported by most economists around the world because it uses market forces and is, in that regard, the most likely to succeed and the least disruptive, as compared to others.

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): My question is also for the Leader of the Government.

According to this year’s Climate Change Performance Index published during COP 27, Canada ranks 58 out of 63 countries when it comes to protecting the climate, even trailing behind China and the United States. After seven years of Liberal rule and seven years of carbon taxes, Canada is number 58.

Senator Gold, when will the Liberal-NDP government finally admit that their climate change plan is not working and that taxing Canadians more and more will not do anything positive for the planet?

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

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

[Translation]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Shannon Cornelsen. She is the guest of the Honourable Senator Simons.

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.

Any product or technology that will assist producers to do their part to reduce emissions is welcome. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I will make inquiries and report back as quickly as I can.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Senator Gold, in a recent email from CMHC, they noted that “CMHC exists for a single reason: to make housing affordable for everyone in Canada.”

Yet under your government’s watch, housing prices in Canada have more than doubled over the last six years. Would you not agree, then, Senator Gold, that means your government has been a spectacular failure on this file?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): No, I do not agree, Senator Plett. I guess it remains my duty to remind the Senate yet again of the shared jurisdiction on housing between provinces and municipalities, to say nothing of the role of the private sector. I may also remind this chamber of the many measures that the government is doing through its spending power and in collaboration with the provinces and territories to support the creation of new housing and to support those who are seeking to enter the housing market or to pay their rent.

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

Senator Pate: Thank you for that, Senator Gold.

Given the shortcomings of Bill C-5 and the reality that the 20 individuals granted conviction reviews over the past decades were all men — only one of whom was Black and one of whom was Indigenous — what measures in particular will be implemented from the recommendations that you mentioned in the report commissioned by the Minister of Justice and completed by the Honourable Harry LaForme and the Honourable Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. Respectfully, it’s the position of the government that the assertion and assumption is incorrect.

Canada and this government has put into place a serious, responsible climate action plan that includes many features, one of which is the price on pollution. It is a market-driven mechanism that works to create incentives and disincentives for companies to do their part. It takes time for these things to take effect.

The government remains convinced that the measures that it has put in place — of which this is one of a large suite of measures — is the right thing to do for Canada, for our economy and, indeed, for the planet.

Senator Plett: Leader, whenever your government is pressed on this or other issues, we always hear your talking points. They’re always about your compassion for those who are experiencing hardship and the ways in which you claim to be supporting them. But raising taxes on a vulnerable population at a time when they are having trouble putting food on the table — in other words, pouring salt on an open wound — is not compassion, Senator Gold.

I know that while we may disagree on how to get there, we both are ultimately after the same outcome, which is to serve Canadians in the best way possible. Would you not agree, Senator Gold, that this tax hike is making the situation even worse? Will your government at least commit to reconsidering this tax hike?

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Sandra Manning, Mark Manning, Ian Martin, Orinda Careen, Jerry Careen, Father Wayne Dohey, Marie Mackenzie, Pat Dohey and Sara Mang. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Manning.

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

Senator Gold: The government has full confidence in Minister Lametti, who is a lawyer, a dedicated minister and a man of integrity. As Attorney General of Canada, it is essential that Minister Lametti be informed of the media coverage of a case like this. Given their interdependent responsibilities, it is crucial that the Attorney General and the Director of Public Prosecutions maintain an effective relationship.

It is perfectly normal, senator, and indeed essential that they communicate and work together, so that they can both make fully informed decisions.

Although this relationship is part of their public duties, it does not change the fact that the public organization is independent, apolitical and responsible for its own affairs.

Of course, their communications are covered by protection similar to attorney-client confidentiality.

[English]

Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: My question is for Senator Gold. In March, the media reported that the Quebec Court of Appeal had overturned the conviction of someone who had been tried in a secret trial. The Court of Appeal denounced this practice, which, in its words, was contrary to the fundamental principles of justice and “incompatible with the values of a liberal democracy.”

This secret trial was also a serious breach of one of the pillars of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights, namely the right to information. We also learned from the same media outlet that Minister Lametti was in close communication with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada about this case, after stating a few months earlier that he was steering clear of this case in order to defend the transparency and independence of justice.

Senator Gold, is the Minister of Justice’s intrusion into a court proceeding as reprehensible as the Prime Minister’s interference in the SNC-Lavalin case?

Senator Gold: The government is not comfortable at all knowing that Canadians are facing challenges with the rising cost of living, including access to affordable housing.

The government is confident that the measures it put in place are not Band-Aid solutions. They are targeted, focused and serious. They work in partnership with the provinces and territories, Indigenous communities and municipalities. They provide real, tangible assistance to Canadians in a time of need, and the government will never apologize for continuing to act responsibly in the best interest of Canadians.