The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Jayden Paquet‑Noiseux. He is the guest of the Honourable Senator Audette.

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

Some Hon. senators: Hear, hear!

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Mackenzie Klyne. He is the son of the Honourable Senator Klyne.

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

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

[English]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, pursuant to the order adopted by the Senate on December 7, 2021, Question Period will begin at 2:30 p.m.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, we’re just a couple of minutes away from 2:30 and the minister arriving. May we suspend to await the minister’s arrival?

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, when shall this bill be read the third time?

(On motion of Senator Cordy, bill placed on the Orders of the Day for third reading at the next sitting of the Senate.)

[Translation]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Evgeny Afineevsky, Natalya Nagorna and Hanna Zaitseva. They are the guests of the Honourable Senators Dasko and Kutcher.

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

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Camilla Keller Olsen, an Arctic Intern at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark in Canada. She is the guest of the Honourable Senator Anderson.

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

Senator Plett: Maybe you want to join me.

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

(Pursuant to the order adopted by the Senate on December 7, 2021, to receive a Minister of the Crown, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P., Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, appeared before honourable senators during Question Period.)

The Hon. the Speaker: Time has expired. Minister, I probably should have advised you in the beginning, when you see the clerk standing, you have 10 seconds to finish your answer, okay?

Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Good afternoon, minister. According to data obtained from Statistics Canada, 190 Indigenous people were victims of homicide in Canada in 2021, including 45 women. This number represents 25% of murder victims in Canada. The homicide rate of Indigenous victims was six times higher than that of non-Indigenous people. This is a tragedy, and it happens year after year. Nevertheless, the Liberal government seems to have no plan to protect Indigenous communities from this endemic violence. Instead, it is adopting measures like Bill C-5, which will encourage crime. As usual, your government is turning its back on victims.

Minister, what concrete action is your government taking to reduce the number of Indigenous women, children and men who are murdered in Canada?

[English]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, the time for Question Period has expired. I’m sure you will join me in thanking Minister Hajdu for being with us today.

We look forward to seeing you again in the future. Thank you, minister.

Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Welcome to the Senate of Canada, Minister Hajdu.

Addictions and suicide are serious concerns, especially amongst Indigenous communities. In your mandate letter from the Prime Minister, you were asked to:

. . . co-develop and invest in a distinctions based Mental Health and Wellness Strategy . . . including culturally appropriate . . . services for addictions and trauma, suicide and life promotion . . . .

Where are we now on this pressing and urgent goal?

The Hon. the Speaker: I’m sorry to interrupt you, Senator Kutcher, but the time has expired. Are you asking for five more minutes?

The Hon. the Speaker: I’m sorry, minister, but your time has expired.

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

(On motion of Senator Martin, debate adjourned.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Harder, P.C., calling the attention of the Senate to the role and mandate of the RCMP, the skills and capabilities required for it to fulfill its role and mandate, and how it should be organized and resourced in the 21st century.

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