Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Minister, the Canadian Transportation Agency — the CTA — which is responsible for enforcing the compensation rules when travel plans have been derailed due to flight delays or cancellations, received over 7,000 complaints in May. In August, the CTA said the backlog of complaints had risen to 18,200 following a spike in grievances filed in recent months.

Minister, before you start blaming everyone else and other governments for this backlog, can you please provide us answers to the following questions: How many complaints have the CTA received to date this year for air travel alone? What measure have you taken to address the backlog? And when do you forecast the CTA to have caught up on the backlog of complaints?

Hon. Omar Alghabra, P.C., M.P., Minister of Transport: Senator, thank you for that question and thank you for talking about the importance of the National Trade Corridors Fund that is supporting critical infrastructure, including in the North.

By the way, within the National Trade Corridors Fund, we have set aside an allocation for the North to precisely invest in projects like the one you’re describing.

I am aware that several projects that have been approved by the Trade Corridors Fund have seen a rise in cost, and we’ve been asking proponents to come back with another proposal or another submission that explains the situation. These proposals are examined by Transport Canada, and then a decision is made based on the situation.

[Translation]

Hon. Omar Alghabra, P.C., M.P., Minister of Transport: Senator, the work that our farmers and agricultural producers do is incredibly important. You are right — this year they are having a terrific year, and we need to ensure, as a government and as a country, that the transport sector is ready to provide services that are necessary, not only for them, but for Canadians and the entire world who are depending on this product.

I have written and been engaged with CN and CP to ensure that they have plans to be able to service farmers and agricultural producers.

We have recently announced several measures, including $130 million to digitize the transportation and supply chain sector to ensure greater fluidity and ensure that CN and CP have the plans that they need. We are engaged on this, senator. It’s important to us, and I know it’s important for Canadians.

[Translation]

Hon. Marty Klyne: Minister, since 2012, we have seen consistent declines in Canada’s world infrastructure rankings from tenth to thirty-second. The good news, as I understand it, is that Infrastructure Canada is already working on a major national infrastructure assessment and assessing infrastructure priorities.

Something that remains a concern, however, is that our trade competitors are already making investments improving their logistics infrastructure. As a result, our Canadian exporters are increasingly feeling the challenge to retain customers. As we know, transportation infrastructure enables trade, which accounts for 65% of Canada’s GDP annually and, therefore, is worthy of our attention. The good news on that front, as you’ve identified, is that a National Supply Chain Task Force report was recently released which recommends steps to improve the competitiveness of Canada’s trade corridors.

Minister, is there a plan to coordinate these two major federal infrastructure initiatives and formally engage the provinces, territories and industry to participate in a national effort to improve our trade corridors?

Hon. Renée Dupuis: Minister of Transport, welcome to the Senate. On April 30, 2021, you and the Minister of Labour appeared before the Senate in Committee of the Whole when we were examining a special bill to provide for the resumption and continuation of operations at the Port of Montreal. At that time, I asked you whether the port’s specific governance structure was part of the reason why the very long and difficult negotiations between the parties had stalled. You answered as follows:

 . . . we are currently in the process of reviewing the port structure. There is a proposal that we’re studying to modernize how ports are governed, and we’re certainly always looking for ways to enhance the governance structure.

On December 16, 2021, the Prime Minister gave you the following responsibility in your mandate letter:

Complete the Ports Modernization Review with an aim to update governance structures that promote investment in Canadian ports.

Minister, I would like to know how far you’ve gotten with the review of the Canadian ports governance structure, especially for the Port of Montreal. You received a proposal to modernize the governance structure. Did you approve it? Where are you on this file?

[English]

Hon. Omar Alghabra, P.C., M.P., Minister of Transport: Thank you, senator. Let me start by saying that our government is always reluctant to interfere in a collective bargaining process. We support the legitimacy and importance of this process. At that time, we — reluctantly — felt it was necessary to intervene.

To answer your question directly, the legislation is in its final stages. I am hoping that it will be tabled before the end of the year. I am looking forward to debating about it in the House of Commons. After that, obviously, I’m looking forward to receiving input and suggestions from you. It doesn’t even need to be after that. It could be during the process while it is in the House of Commons. I look forward to your input and feedback on the proposal that we will be tabling before the end of the year.

Hon. Omar Alghabra, P.C., M.P., Minister of Transport: Thank you, senator, for that question. Marine Atlantic is an incredibly important service to our fellow neighbours in the Atlantic provinces. Our government continues to support this service, particularly during difficult times — during COVID. As for your question, I need to get back to you about whether that was a particular decision made by Marine Atlantic. It is, after all, an independent body that makes its own decisions based on its operational considerations. I’ll need to get back to you on that question.

[Translation]

Hon. Amina Gerba: Honourable senators, I rise today to underscore the tremendous importance of this week’s visit to Canada by Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission. Equally important are his meeting with the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, and the high-level dialogue to take place between our illustrious guest and Ministers Joly, Ng and Sajjan.

I want to celebrate this historic visit by a chairperson of the African Union Commission. Such a visit has never taken place in our country.

With its 55 member countries, the African Union symbolizes the coordination of development efforts, the safeguarding of sovereignty and territorial integrity, the promotion of international cooperation and especially Africa’s economic integration. It is an essential partner and the chairperson’s visit to Canada is an opportunity for our country to make up for lost time in our relationship with this continent that is in the throes of progress.

Colleagues, the government must significantly boost its diplomatic presence on the continent, take advantage of the assets and the weight of the African diaspora, which the African Union Commission has identified as the continent’s sixth zone, implement measures to promote trade and investment in Africa and work on a future free-trade agreement between Canada and Africa that will give our businesses access to one of the world’s biggest markets, whose 1.3 billion consumers will become 2.5 billion in 2050.

Honourable senators, again, I’m delighted that the Chairperson of the African Union Commission is in Canada. I hope this will lead to some very positive outcomes for our country.

Thank you.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

[English]

Hon. Denise Batters: Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to the Canadian Forces 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, Canada’s beloved Snowbirds, as they celebrate their fiftieth anniversary.

The iconic Snowbirds are at the very heart of our proud Canadian military tradition. They hail from Canadian Forces Base, or CFB, 15 Wing Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan — a city very near and dear to my heart and home.

My late husband, former MP Dave Batters, was a huge fan of the Snowbirds. As Moose Jaw’s MP, Dave promoted and encouraged the Snowbirds through triumph and tragedy. In return, they viewed him as their guardian in Parliament. They presented him with a precious Snowbirds coin in recognition of that.

I was honoured to attend the Snowbirds’ fiftieth-anniversary celebrations last weekend in Moose Jaw. I took that Snowbirds coin with me to the anniversary dinner, and I have brought it with me here today.

The weekend started with a Snowbirds flyover of Moose Jaw by the current team, which thrilled the hometown crowd below. Members of former Snowbirds teams from the last 50 years gathered for a reunion one night and a golden anniversary dinner the next. I saw many old friends from former Snowbirds teams and 15 Wing Moose Jaw, and I met many impressive men and women who have served our country with distinction.

I was excited to meet the very first female Snowbirds pilot, Maryse Carmichael, who later became commanding officer of the Snowbirds. What an inspiration she has been to women in the military.

I also met the current Commanding Officer of the Snowbirds, Denis Bandet, who is originally from Regina. He joked that he joined the military to see the world and ended up spending most of his military career just down the highway in Moose Jaw.

The squadron is a magnificent recruitment tool for the Canadian military. Many former Snowbirds recount how, as kids, they were inspired to become pilots after seeing this incredible team perform, or getting a Snowbirds pilot’s autograph after an air show.

The Snowbirds are inspiring because they are a little bit of magic. They make the impossible possible.

Honourable senators, I hope you have all had the chance to experience the awe of the coloured smoke and roaring engines as the Snowbirds fly in formation over Parliament Hill on Canada Day, or at your local air show. It’s a mighty rumble that makes your heart and imagination soar.

Early in the pandemic, the Snowbirds flew across Canada in Operation INSPIRATION — a tour to raise Canadians’ spirits during a time of uncertainty and isolation. When they flew over my home in Regina, I was on my back deck. I threw up my arms, and I yelled, “Yay, Snowbirds!” It is impossible not to respond with childlike delight where the Snowbirds are involved.

For 50 years, the Snowbirds have amazed and inspired us — a potent Canadian symbol of hope and freedom. But despite the excellent skill of their aviation and avionics technicians, the Tutor jets need to be replaced soon. The federal government needs a plan, now, to secure and procure new planes for this Canadian gem. Let us help the Snowbirds soar high for the next 50 years. Thank you.

[Translation]

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Minister, earlier this month, a CN bridge south of Grande Prairie, Alberta, burned down, causing backlogs for grain shippers who rely on rail to get their products to port. This also means farmers aren’t being paid for their crops because their products aren’t moving. Sadly, this example is just one of many that demonstrate the fragility of Canada’s national supply chain.

Greg Sears, who serves as board chair of the Alberta Wheat Commission, recently said in a Financial Post article, “One bridge washout or fire or any type of event can cause some major impacts.”

He added, “An entire economy is relying on these little ribbons of steel through Canada.”

Minister, farmers must deal with droughts, floods and many more variables that are out of their control. Access to rail transportation should not be an additional barrier. What is your government doing about this matter?

Hon. Mary Coyle: Honourable senators, I rise today to thank and celebrate Louise Bernice Halfe — Sky Dancer — as she completes her term as the ninth Parliamentary Poet Laureate.

Ms. Halfe is a Cree elder, an accomplished literary figure, a social worker and a survivor of Blue Quills residential school in Alberta. I want to honour her by reading a powerful poem she wrote for our Senators for Climate Solutions group.

The poem is called Climate Change.

ni-capan, nosomis, — great grandchild, grandchild

this is all I have to offer these days

when the aski — earth

suffers.

Our people have always known

the aski — earth talks.

It is best to listen.

Offer tobacco

to mistassini

Lay your ear,

your hand,

against the rock.

Listen.

She will share

how we think of her

as blind.

Yet,

like water-life

she sees through

the silk screen

of her closed eyelids.

Pebbles that children collect

giggle in their pockets.

Remember. This was once

you.

Offer tobacco.

Curl your body

around the trunk of

a mitos — tree.

Listen. She will tell you

how she breathes for us.

How her medicines

can restore your lungs.

She will show you

Where you were born,

her many umbilical cords

rooted into the earth.

Generations of her children

reaching for their dreams.

Plant her babies.

Offer tobacco.

To the iskotew — fire. Feel her warmth.

Watch her dance. Know

she was the one who lit-up

when you were born.

She is the one who fuels

your love, your joy, your anger.

She encourages you

to use her with care.

Urges you toward your dreams.

She is the one

who speaks through

your eyes.

Offer tobacco.

To nipi, water.

The one we reach for

when the sun scorches

our breath. She will tell you

how she planted the seed

from your father’s body,

travelled in the darkness

to gush from your

mother’s womb. She will

ask for the droplets

that fall from the sky

to land on your tongue

as you dance in her rains.

Offer tobacco.

To yotin, wind.

She will sing, roar, murmur.

She carries all ancestors,

brings them to us,

the living soul

that we travel with.

She holds hands

with the earth, releases

waters, makes

room for fire when we

are delivered from the womb.

Offer tobacco.

Spread it in the garden,

where aski- the earth

waits

to greet

all of us.

These ni-capan, nosomis, — great grandchildren, grandchildren

our grandmothers,

grandfathers, always work

together, hold their hands

to deliver

our lives.

Thank you, Louise Halfe — Sky Dancer for this beautiful poem and for all that you do and for who you are. Thank you.

[Translation]

Hon. Percy Mockler: Honourable senators, I want to talk about something that I care a lot about and that is Food Banks Canada. First, I want to congratulate Philippe Ozga and his wonderful Canadian team across the country for their leadership in Food Banks Canada.

I want to share that my sister and I grew up with a single mother and lived on social assistance until I was 20 years old. At the time, we called it welfare. I would never have believed that I would be here in the Senate of Canada today to discuss a subject that involves everyone: poverty.

[English]

Food Banks Canada revealed alarming and very disturbing statistics today that I want to share with you.

Honourable senators, food bank use is up 35% from 2019 and 15% since 2021. This increase represents the highest monthly food bank use in Canadian history, with almost 1.5 million visits in the month of March 2022. The increase stems from the existing weaknesses of our social safety net that have been worsened by inflation. Having a job no longer guarantees food security. Overall, honourable senators, one in five visitors at food banks are members of the labour force.

It is recommended by Food Banks Canada that our affordable housing crisis needs immediate and long-term solutions to face poverty. As more people continue to struggle at unprecedented rates, affordable housing supplies are still eroding and are being built too slowly. It is also recommended by Food Banks Canada that, as low-income workers flood food banks, Canada needs new policies that guarantee those who work will always have enough money to put food on their tables.

As I conclude, food insecurity and poverty must get special attention in northern and remote parts of Canada. All governments across Canada need to make our communities better places to work, better places to raise our children, better places to live and better places to reach out to the most vulnerable. Yes, we can do it. Canada can do it with steadfast political leadership.

Hon. Paula Simons: Honourable senators, I have the honour to inform the Senate that pursuant to the orders adopted by the Senate on February 10, 2022, and September 27, 2022, the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry deposited with the Clerk of the Senate on October 27, 2022, its sixth report (Interim) entitled Treading Water: The impact of and response to the 2021 British Columbia floods and I move that the report be placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.

(On motion of Senator Simons, report placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.)

[Translation]

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

Hon. Paula Simons: Honourable senators, yesterday morning, a small man with a great heart was laid to rest in the Jewish Cemetery of Victoria. Myer Horowitz was 89. He was a teacher, an academic and a champion of early childhood and primary education.

Born in Montreal, he earned a PhD at Stanford University before beginning his academic career at McGill, but in 1969 he moved to Edmonton to become Chair of the University of Alberta’s Department of Elementary Education. He later served as Dean of Education and Vice-President (Academic) before taking on the role of President, a position he held from 1979 to 1989.

University presidents are not typically beloved by their student body, but Myer Horowitz was a most unusual president. When news of his death broke this week, Allen Panzeri, a long-time sports writer, wrote on Twitter:

When I was covering the Golden Bears hockey team for the Edmonton Journal, a frequent companion in a lonely press box was Myer Horowitz.

Now, I was not a hockey player. It probably won’t shock you that I was instead an active member of the U of A debate club. I remember asking the president’s office if they could provide some support for a big tournament we were hosting. I was delighted and surprised when President Horowitz himself gave up a chunk of his weekend to judge at the tournament and present the trophy to the winning team.

I was even more touched that after that one meeting, he never forgot me and sent me notes of congratulations and support for decades as my career progressed. That’s just how he was.

Dr. Horowitz presided over a golden age at the U of A, building world-class schools of engineering, medicine, business, science and the arts. But he also earned the love and loyalty of students all across campus. He was a visionary and a mensch, so much so that when he retired in 1989, the student community voted to rename the student union theatre space as the Myer Horowitz Theatre.

He earned nine honorary doctorates and an Order of Canada, but I’d like to think the Myer Horowitz Theatre was his truest honour.

The doctor and his wife, Barbara, retired to Victoria in 1998, though his retirement was far from retiring. He became an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria where he helped to found the UVic Centre for Youth and Society.

Throughout his life, right to the very end, he remained a passionate supporter of teachers and students, a dedicated volunteer with organizations that supported them and a sharp and publicly outspoken critic of provincial government policies that he felt compromised classroom education.

May his memory be a blessing to his wife, Barbara, his daughters, Debbie and Carol and all his friends and family. His memory will forever be a blessing to the University of Alberta, to Edmonton and to Alberta, the province he loved. Thank you very much.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I have the honour to table the answers to the following oral questions:

Response to the oral question asked in the Senate on June 9, 2022, by the Honourable Senator Boisvenu, concerning violence against women.

Response to the oral question asked in the Senate on September 27, 2022, by the Honourable Senator Plett, concerning Indigenous consultation.

(Response to question raised by the Honourable Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu on June 9, 2022)

The safety of women and girls is a priority for the Government.

We are working to develop a National Action Plan to address gender-based violence that builds on the foundation laid out in our 2017 strategy. Budget 2022 announced over $539 million to support provinces and territories to implement the National Action Plan and Budget 2021 provided over $48 million for independent legal advice and representation programs for victims of sexual assault and intimate partner violence.

In 2018, former Bill C-51 amended the Criminal Code to strengthen Canada’s sexual assault laws. In 2019, former Bill C-75 enacted amendments that strengthened criminal laws on intimate partner violence, with the goal of enhancing victim safety. In 2019, former Bill C-78 made changes to family laws, including several amendments to the Divorce Act to address family violence. Of note, the Divorce Act now includes a definition of family violence that is based on social science research and that refers to any conduct that is violent, threatening or a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour, or that causes a family member to fear for their safety. In 2021, former Bill C-3 enacted provisions to enhance judicial education on sexual assault law and social context.

(Response to question raised by the Honourable Donald Neil Plett on September 27, 2022)

The government met with Indigenous peoples in the context of Bill C-11 (Online Streaming Act). The Bill was introduced in February 2022, which is similar to former Bill C-10 passed in the House of Commons in June 2021. The government sought to respect the work of parliamentarians in the last session of Parliament.

As such, C-11 built on consultation and engagements with Indigenous partners, communities and stakeholders that contributed to the policy development of Bill C-10 through meetings as part of the Broadcasting and Legislative Review Panel (2018-2019), engagements in Toronto, Winnipeg, Montreal and Vancouver in 2020, meetings with National Indigenous Organizations in 2021, as well as Indigenous industry stakeholders, such as the Indigenous Screen Office and Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.

When C-11 was tabled, the Department of Canadian Heritage met with National Indigenous Organizations. Further meetings are anticipated as the bill moves through Parliament.

Hon. Colin Deacon: Honourable senators, pursuant to rule 5-10(2), I ask that the notice of Motion No. 84 be withdrawn.

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.