Senator Martin: Government leader, not everyone has an inflation-proof job. The number of Canadian families seeking debt relief is increasing. In September alone, the number of insolvencies rose by 3.1% — and they are not alone.

In the third quarter, the total number of Canadian business insolvencies increased by 48.5% compared to last year: almost 50%. Increased borrowing costs, inflation, production and labour issues, as well as a government that won’t cap its own spending have created the perfect storm. Leader, when will the government cap their spending and cancel their planned tax hikes?

Hon. Pat Duncan: Honourable senators, I note that this item is at day 15, and I’m not ready to speak to it at this time. Therefore, with leave of the Senate and notwithstanding rule 4-15(3), I move the adjournment of the debate for the balance of my time.

(On motion of Senator Duncan, debate adjourned.)

[Translation]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question.

The government respects the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer and its views, but the government, as Minister Freeland has stated publicly, doesn’t agree with that assessment. The government, through prudent management of the economy and the resources available to it, has made a responsible decision to invest some — although not all — in helping Canadians through the difficult times, properly underlined by you and others in this chamber, in the face of cost of living challenges for all Canadians.

This government is responsible. It takes its responsibility seriously. That means having to do many things at once, such as managing the economy in a fiscally prudent way — especially coming out of the extraordinary expenditures that we in this chamber authorized to help Canadians through the pandemic — while at the same time helping Canadians as they struggle with the inevitably higher cost of living that worldwide inflation, inflation in Canada and other measures impose.

Hon. Mobina S. B. Jaffer: Senator Patterson, thank you very much for your question — it’s a very important one.

As you know, until very recently, we were studying Bill C-5, which is a government bill; it took many weeks to study. And then we had Bill C-210 which was a bill we had left since last June to finish. We finished that bill, and we’re presently studying Bill S-205, and, after that, the steering committee will look at when we will do the study.

The study is very much on our minds, but we’ve had many other challenges, and you are not a stranger to the work of the Legal Committee. We have many bills to take care of, and we haven’t forgotten it. We know that March is the deadline.

We’re also aware that the House has started studying it, and we’re working with the House as to when we should start the study. Thank you very much for raising it today.

Hon. Dennis Glen Patterson: My question is for the Honourable Senator Jaffer as Chair of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee.

Senator, when Bill C-28 on extreme intoxication was rushed through both chambers in June — and I know you’ll remember those debates we had here — it was with the promise that both houses would take the unusual step of retroactively reviewing the legislation for any potential loopholes in light of concerns from victims’ advocacy groups and women’s legal organizations.

I note that the other place has already proceeded with their review. Senator Jaffer, can you tell us when we can expect your committee to begin looking into this issue?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Leader, since the finance minister unveiled her Fall Economic Statement earlier this month, we’ve heard repeated assurances from your government that it has been fiscally prudent. You’ve stated that here. This was challenged by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, or PBO, when he and the finance minister appeared before the House of Commons Finance Committee on Monday. The PBO’s office calculated that the government had announced $52 billion in net new measures over the span of six years. Allow me to quote from the PBO directly:

Would I qualify this as restrained spending growth? The answer is unsurprisingly, no. When the government has $81 billion in fiscal room and spends $52 billion of that, even after taking into account new tax measures, it’s not called keeping one’s powder dry.

Senator Gold, why is your government not exercising any fiscal restraint in the face of the upcoming economic uncertainty?

Hon. Lucie Moncion: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration entitled Financial Statements of the Senate of Canada for the year ended March 31, 2022.

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.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. The government takes this backlog very seriously and is applying itself diligently to address it. It is a real problem, and we understand the difficulty and hardship that it causes to people who cannot get answers as quickly as they would like and as they should.

The government remains committed and is continuing — and will continue — to address this problem to the fullest extent possible.

Senator Plett: Senator Gold, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — IRCC — has been named in 709 mandamus applications filed in Federal Court this fiscal year. The fiscal year started in April.

This, Senator Gold, is outrageous. It’s a sad day when people are having to seek a judicial order that compels IRCC to finish processing their applications. Yet, Senator Gold, just a few weeks ago, your government announced a massive immigration increase of half a million people in 2025.

Senator Gold, does your government even have a plan on how they’re going to deal with this recent announcement? How will you address the backlog and the increase in immigration at the same time?

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question. The government is committed to increasing immigration to Canada to address the labour needs of this country, our need for the economy to continue to grow and to continue to attract talented, competent, able people to enrich our society.

With regard to the immigration processes, again, the government acknowledges the backlogs are serious. The government is applying itself to them and will continue to do so, even as it seeks to welcome more immigrants to Canada.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you. The problems that Canadians are feeling, whether it’s expressed in insolvency, regrettable as it is, or in increased costs of living and housing, are a serious preoccupation of this government. Indeed, all governments — provincial, territorial and municipal — are addressing them to the fullest extent possible.

Canada has put in place a fiscal policy which includes both tax measures, incentive measures and benefits. It is a balanced and prudent one, and it is helping Canadians each and every day, and it’s helping our economy generally progress forward.

Hon. Amina Gerba: Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Senator Gold, the Minister of Foreign Affairs unveiled Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, which has a budget of $2.3 billion over five years, last Sunday in Vancouver. I welcome this strategy, which will help diversify opportunities for Canadian businesses.

However, I would like to point out that Africa is also a large market, uniting around a free trade area worth over $3 trillion in GDP and with 1.4 billion consumers. That number will rise to 2.5 billion consumers by 2050.

Senator Gold, when will the Canadian government present its long-awaited and much-anticipated strategy for Africa?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. As the government continues to develop Canada’s strategy for Africa, it also continues to work with key partners to advance our shared priorities, including peace, security and prosperity.

That is why the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs visited South Africa, Malawi, Tanzania, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal and Nigeria this year to strengthen those ties. That is also why the government announced the opening of a new Office of the High Commission in Kigali and the establishment of a dedicated mission and permanent observer to the African Union. I’m told that the government will soon have more to say about the next steps in the Africa strategy.

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question. As I said, the government is currently developing the strategy and will announce details soon.

[English]

Hon. Raymonde Saint-Germain: Honourable senators, Lawyers Without Borders Canada, a non-profit organization based in my hometown of Quebec City, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. That is 20 years of solidarity, international cooperation and commitment to the mission of giving access to justice to those who need it most and who could not otherwise access it.

Lawyers Without Borders Canada was founded in October 2002 by Dominique-Anne Roy, Pierre Brun and Pascal Paradis. These three committed lawyers from Quebec decided to join forces and participate, on a voluntary basis, I should note, in international solidarity efforts for justice. Lawyers Without Borders Canada is now an internationally recognized cooperative organization, known for its expertise, its credibility and its dedication to the promotion and protection of human rights. This organization makes a meaningful contribution, on the ground, to strengthening access to justice and legal representation.

Over the years, Lawyers Without Borders Canada has launched 52 projects in 32 countries with many local partners, helping hundreds of thousands of people. That is very commendable. Right now, Lawyers Without Borders Canada has 140 employees and volunteers in Bamako, Bogota, Guatemala City, Montreal, Port-au-Prince, Quebec City, San Salvador and Tegucigalpa. A total of 18 international cooperation projects are under way with 135 global partners.

[English]

Lawyers Without Borders Canada is a pioneer in the field of international legal cooperation. Its great achievement is to have allowed more than 100 lawyers from here to get involved elsewhere in service of those who need it the most. This pro bono commitment amounts to $7 million of non-billed legal work over the past five years. This involvement of our lawyers allows their expertise and dedication to shine through — without borders.

For all these reasons, dear colleagues, I salute in this chamber the 20 years of success of this remarkable organization, an organization born here and now serving throughout the world. Thank you, meegwetch.

Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, on December 13 of this year, 23-year-old Mi’kmaq singer-songwriter and fiddler Morgan Toney will travel to Paris, along with award-winning musician and producer Keith Mullins, to perform at the United Nations’ launch of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. They will perform “Ko’jua,” an ancient Mi’kmaq song passed down in oral and singing traditions for over 500 years.

The International Decade of Indigenous Languages initiative aims to:

. . . draw global attention on the critical situation of many Indigenous languages and to mobilize stakeholders and resources for their preservation, revitalization and promotion.

Having grown up in Wagmatcook First Nation, Morgan decided at a young age that keeping his language alive is something that is very important to him. This led him to start singing traditional Mi’kmaq songs. He only began playing the fiddle three and a half years ago, but has created a fusion genre of music, joining his Mi’kmaq roots with his love for Cape Breton Celtic music. Morgan explained:

It’s a really beautiful thing and I just think it’s the right time because when you come to Cape Breton, you’re surrounded by different cultures and you’re surrounded by different languages and when you mix two cultures together and it blends and it just works so perfectly — that’s something nobody has ever seen before.

Morgan and Keith are thrilled to have the opportunity to play before the United Nations and to share their culture with the world. They hope to be a positive influence for young Mi’kmaq children. In speaking about the impact of his work, Morgan has said:

Music is universal but our teachings are universal too and that’s what I love when we talk about our Mi’kmaq teachings: it’s not just Mi’kmaq teachings . . . it’s something we can all learn from and no matter who you are, or what your nationality is, we have something to share.

Honourable senators, join me in congratulating Morgan Toney and Keith Mullins on their upcoming performance in Paris. Break a leg, Morgan and Keith — or, as we say in Cape Breton, “get ’er done!” Thank you.

Hon. Leo Housakos: Honourable senators, yesterday represented a milestone: It was the seventy-fifth anniversary of Canada and most of the world community voting “yes” for United Nations Resolution 181. That historic vote marked the beginning of the rebirth of the modern State of Israel, recognizing the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in their historic homeland where Jews have always dwelt.

That joyous day was not accepted by everyone, and indeed even today there are those who continue to engage in terror in an endeavour to destroy Israel. Just last week, a Canadian teen was killed in a terror bombing at a bus stop in Jerusalem.

Israel was small and poor on the day of its independence. Today, it is a proud, democratic nation, an ally of Canada and the Western world, a real economic success and a friend of developing nations.

Israeli research and development have led to a better life for untold billions around the world, producing major advances in green agriculture, medicine and technology.

If yesterday’s anniversary was a happy day, today is a sadder one. Today is Jewish Refugee Day, marking the departure and expulsion of a million Jews from their homes in the Middle East, Iran and North Africa. We should not forget that Jewish communities had existed in the region for millennia, contributing enormously to the growth and success of Iran and of Arab nations.

In response to the United Nations’ overwhelming vote for Israel’s independence, the Arab states launched a war that they quickly lost, despite overwhelming numerical superiority, and then began a campaign of hate aimed at the Jewish populations within their borders.

We should not forget that there were substantial Jewish populations in countries such as Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco and Syria, and today these communities — for all practical purposes — no longer exist. Where there were hundreds of thousands, today there are almost none.

Between 1947 and the mid-1970s, Iran and Arab states fomented violence and discrimination against their Jewish citizens. Many were murdered, and a million became refugees. Israel took in many, but I note that Canada welcomed many of these refugees as well. They have contributed enormously to Canada.

The expulsion of Jews from Iran and Arab lands is an enduring refugee crisis that has yet to be resolved. Tens of billions of dollars in assets were stolen from Jewish refugees, and no compensation has ever been offered. On Jewish Refugee Day, I am proud to have been part of a government that, in 2014, became the second country — after the United States — to “ . . . officially recognize the experience of Jewish refugees who were displaced from states in the Middle East and North Africa . . . .”

To that end, I call on the current government to do more to educate Canadians about this tragic but too little-known story. I call on Canada to pressure the Arab states and Iran to compensate the victims and their descendants for their stolen wealth.

Last evening in Ottawa, the Sephardic communities of Montreal and Ottawa, along with the Embassy of Israel and the Jewish Federation, commemorated this anniversary.

This evening, B’nai Brith, Canada’s oldest Jewish advocacy organization, will host a virtual commemoration of the story of Jews from Iran and Arab lands. I understand that some of the victims will tell their stories.

Colleagues, as they grow older, their personal histories remain as poignant as ever.

Hon. Dan Christmas: Honourable senators, how privileged are we who get to see the best: doctors, lawyers, athletes, poets, political leaders and learned professors, leading in their fields, to the betterment of us all?

They often leave us with a feeling of awe and a sense of thankful appreciation for their giftedness. We are indeed blessed to be in their company, and thankful for their myriad contributions to Canadian society.

Colleagues, it can and must be said that there are indeed angels among us, tapped into something bigger than you or me. I’m honoured to share the story of someone just like this.

Friends and colleagues, Sister Dorothy Moore, now 89, was recently the subject of a biography entitled A Journey of Love and Hope. What’s more, there was also a very recent film documentary shown at the 2022 Atlantic International Film Festival: Sister Dorothy Moore: A Life of Courage, Determination, and Love.

Sister Dorothy’s first incredible achievement was her decision to become the first Mi’kmaq student to attend a public school during the 1940s in Nova Scotia — an absolutely unheard of notion at the time.

Racism abounded at off-reserve schools. In time, the authorities kicked her out, but she unapologetically returned. She was on nothing short of a mission. There was no stopping her. Despite all the odds, she graduated from public high school — another unheard of notion.

Yes, honourable senators, in the case of Sister Dorothy, the phrase “no stopping her” kept taking the form of further and numerous miracles. This included obtaining two degrees: bachelor’s degrees in arts and education from St. Francis Xavier University in the 1950s.

She became a teacher and a school principal, and later pioneered university-level Indigenous studies at Cape Breton University in the 1980s — the first of its kind in Canada.

Those who know Sister Dorothy well would readily attest to the deep importance of faith in her life. She has always heard the Creator’s call, and she has resolutely responded to it. Witness her decision to become one of the first Mi’kmaq in 1954 to take up holy orders with the Roman Catholic Sisters of Martha as evidence of this.

What more productive, gentle, faith-filled, determined and helpful example of servant leadership to the benefit of all could there be? What better descriptor might we apply to this real angel among us?

Others readily endorse this view of Sister Dorothy, such as Ramona Lumpkin, PhD, President and Vice-Chancellor, Mount Saint Vincent University:

Sister Dorothy Moore has been my hero, guide, and mentor. Sister Dorothy’s story is that of a deeply spiritual woman who has overcome the cruelties of racism, fought to get an education, campaigned to preserve the Mi’kmaw language, and advocated eloquently on behalf of Mi’kmaw culture and values.

In the final analysis, Sister Dorothy’s wisdom echoes through the years, always with her gaze fixed on the long horizon.

As she herself would likely say, “If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.”

We’lalin. Thank you.