Senator Gold: We have important relations with many countries, including Haiti, because there’s a large diaspora in Canada. I’m very confident in the work that Minister Joly is doing and will continue to do, not just for the well-being of Canadians, but also for our interests elsewhere.

[English]

Senator Gold: Thank you for the supplementary question. I do not have an answer for that. I will endeavour to seek answers from the government and I hope to report back to the chamber in a timely fashion.

[Translation]

Senator Gold: The government is aware of the risk and realizes that lives are at stake. The government is, in fact, doing everything that it can. It has just not been possible. It remains incredibly challenging to get everyone out not only as quickly as we would hope but also as quickly as they would hope. Efforts continue and shall continue.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Joe Blakeman, Reeve of Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta, and his spouse, Kristin Blakeman. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator LaBoucane-Benson.

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

Hon. Scott Tannas: Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That, notwithstanding any provision of the Rules or previous order, the Honourable Senator Smith take the place of former Senator White as one of the members of the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators.

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

(The sitting of the Senate was suspended.)

(The sitting of the Senate was resumed.)

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of former Irish senator and children’s rights advocate Jillian van Turnhout and Mr. Ron Ensom, a child protection consultant. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Kutcher.

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

Hon. Mobina S. B. Jaffer: Honourable senators, for 65 years, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan has served as the spiritual leader to over 15 million Ismaili Muslims around the world.

For his entire adult life, he has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of not only Ismaili Muslims, but for all people, particularly those who live in the most impoverished and often forgotten corners of our world.

Operating in over 30 countries in the world, and employing almost 100,000 people, the Aga Khan Development Network has established two universities, built over 700 medical centres, launched over 200 schools, supported over 600,000 farmers and provided financial services to over 50 million people.

Last week, members of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan’s family, including his brother Prince Amyn and his children Princess Zahra and Prince Rahim, were in Canada for ceremonies to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Ismaili community’s substantial presence in Canada, and to launch initiatives for the next 50 years.

In Toronto, His Highness the Aga Khan was conferred the Key to the City for his generous contributions to Toronto and his global humanitarian work. In Edmonton, the Diwan Pavilion in the Aga Khan Garden was inaugurated, supporting the garden’s mandate of providing a venue for dialogue and engagement.

In Vancouver, an agreement of cooperation between the Government of British Columbia and the Ismaili Imamat solidifies a partnership with a focus on addressing issues of climate change in B.C. and around the world.

The significance of these events goes beyond just the buildings, the agreements or the accolades that will emerge from them. What is truly to be celebrated is that in a world faced with increasing divisiveness and adversity, there are reassuring forces propelling us in kinder, gentler and inclusive directions.

Honourable senators, I am so lucky to be in a position where my two greatest blessings — being Canadian and Ismaili Muslim — are not only able to peacefully coexist, but can actively interact and build upon one another.

Indeed, the values of generosity, compassion for those less fortunate and service have been instilled in me and in the community through the leadership of His Highness the Aga Khan. Today and every day, I am grateful for these multiple identities, and also for the acceptance and deep commitment to equal opportunity that this country continues to champion on the global stage.

I am very aware that because of His Highness the Aga Khan and Canadians, I am a senator. Thank you.

Hon. Robert Black: Honourable senators, I rise today to highlight Ontario Agriculture Week, which takes place from October 3 to October 9, 2022. Ontario Agriculture Week is dedicated to celebrating the abundance of food our farmers produce, the Ontarians the industry employs, the rural communities they support and the economic engine they fuel.

According to a recent edition of Canadian Agriculture at a Glance, Ontario represents the largest national share of farms and farm operators, and was the second-largest contributor to Canada’s farm operating revenues. In fact, Ontario farmers proudly grow and produce more than 200 different food commodities for markets right here at home, across Canada and worldwide.

While these are amazing statistics, the industry has experienced a great deal of hardship over the past few years in relation to unmet labour needs, issues accessing fertilizer and other important supplies as well as the transition to more sustainable operations. It is clear agriculture communities in Ontario and across the country need our support.

At this time, I would also like to acknowledge that World Food Day will take place just after Ontario Agriculture Week on October 16, 2022. This year’s theme of leaving no one behind reflects the many compounding factors that have impacted global food security — from the pandemic to the many conflicts that are taking place in different parts of the world to the effects of climate change as well as rising prices — all of which have impacted the way many of us access food.

Let me be frank: Food security is not somebody else’s issue. It is a concern that exists for many here in Canada and around the world, and it will take a collaborative, cross-sector effort to address.

With that being said, I am proud that Canadian farmers are known to be among those who produce some of the finest, safest and highest quality food that feeds not only our country, but countries around the world. I am confident that they will continue doing their utmost to ensure that nobody is left behind on this World Food Day and all year round.

At this time, I would like to acknowledge and thank the many farmers, producers and other agri-businesses who stepped up to support food banks and other services through donations of both food and funds, especially over the course of the pandemic during the last two years.

Honourable senators, I encourage all of you to meet with your local agricultural organizations and learn more about how we can support their efforts to continue feeding the world. From dairy, fruit, wineries and vegetable farms here in Ontario to the huge wheat fields and cattle ranches in Canada’s Prairies and the many other farms and agri-businesses across the country, our farmers, producers and processors have something for everyone.

I know that we can all learn from them if we take the opportunity to do so.

Thank you. Meegwetch.

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

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

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Government leader, our men and women in uniform have always stood tall when our country needed it. Whether it was advancing under the barrage of artillery fire to take Vimy Ridge, landing on the beaches of France under the hail of gunfire or standing their ground while surrounded on the hills of Korea, our soldiers have always done what was expected of them, and we will be forever grateful.

However, according to an article in today’s issue of the Toronto Star, the military faces lagging recruitment and a shortage of experienced personnel. The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Eyre, has stated that these problems are so acute that they:

. . . imperil our ability to recruit, train, employ and retain diverse Canadian talent, thus jeopardizing the readiness and long-term health of Canada’s defence capabilities.

Senator Gold, what specifically is the government doing to address this problem of lagging recruitment and the retention of experienced personnel?

Senator Martin: Government leader, to quote military doctrine:

The ultimate role of the armed forces is to apply force, or the threat of force, in the furtherance of the interests of the state. . . .

To achieve that goal and follow in the footsteps of the heroes in uniform who came before them, key trades in the Armed Forces need to be filled with exceptional personnel. They need to have the capacity to fight and to respond to emergencies if our nation calls upon them to do so.

Senator Gold, you did list some of the efforts that are being made, but would you commit to informing the Senate about the government’s exact plan to recruit and retain the personnel required to defend our country and respond to national emergencies?

Senator Gold: If your question is whether I agree with your proposed solution, the answer is no.

Senator Coyle: Thank you. I look forward to hearing anything more you have to say about that.

Our guests also informed me that the YWCA has asked the government to develop a national definition of homelessness, one that reflects the unique causes, conditions and experiences of homelessness for women, girls and gender-diverse people.

Senator Gold, can you tell us if the government will commit to developing a national definition of homelessness, one which includes this important gender dimension?

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): If Senator Kutcher would take a question, I have one.

Senator Kutcher: And I promise to answer it.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Before we move to adjourning debate, Senator Patterson, do you have a question?

Senator Gold: All Canadians have the right to express their views on YouTube or TikTok — or any of the other platforms that some of us spend time on — as they are doing before the committee, through email campaigns and through other communication that we’re receiving. I have every confidence that this chamber can separate truth from rhetoric, as well as separate facts from exaggeration. Again, I have confidence that, when it comes to both the study and our debate in this chamber, we will make the right decision on behalf of all Canadians.