Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Well, thank you for your question and for bringing this matter to my attention. I will certainly make inquiries and report back.

Senator Housakos: Senator Gold, these stories have been highlighted by the National Post, The Globe and Mail and, it seems, everybody under the sun, except it hasn’t come to the attention of your government or our authorities in this country.

I believe that this is just the tip of the iceberg. If there has ever been a call or a need for a foreign registry act and action to be taken with laws that have consequences for those who come to this country and try to influence the democracy of our country, it is now.

In the past, you and Minister Mendicino have shown tacit support for Bill S-237, which, of course, calls for a registry of foreign influence. Will you concretely support that act? Will you support it going to committee for study? Will you support it becoming law to deal with this pressing issue?

Senator Gold: Well, thank you. It is an important issue, of course. The government that I represent in this chamber is always keen to see bills properly studied, and I look forward to that study at committee.

Hon. Tony Loffreda: Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. I would like to address the issue of Canada’s labour shortages and how immigration, and specifically international students, could help address this issue.

According to a recent economic report, international students are now a key talent pipeline for Canada, representing almost 40% of new economic-class immigrants. We also know that international students could help fill labour shortages in trades, services, health care and much more. In health care alone, the projected labour shortfall is nearly 111,000 by 2028.

I strongly believe Canada needs to do a better job at tapping into our diverse and highly qualified pool of international students to help fill labour shortages and contribute to our economic growth.

What new measures is the government taking to ensure international students can easily shift from the classroom to citizenship to the workplace in a timely and efficient manner?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, senator, for your question. The government recognizes that international students represent a very promising pool of skilled and talented individuals in the Canadian labour market. It is my understanding that, as permanent residents, former international students have some advantages in the labour market and that the share of international students who worked while studying or after graduation has been increasing.

The government is committed to improving the experience for its clients, including students from abroad, and modernizing our immigration system. I’m advised that the government is also focused on ensuring that our immigration plans support our economic resurgence and post-pandemic growth.

With regard to any new measures or those already in place, I will have to make inquiries of the government. I hope to have an answer in a timely manner, but I will say this: The government remains committed to helping students enter the workforce as quickly as possible so that we can utilize their talents and skills.

Senator Loffreda: One statistic suggests that 50% of international students do not file a tax return post graduation, so that means we’re not retaining 50% of the students. What policies or targeted measures have the government implemented to recruit the best young talent from abroad, including international students?

I think we should monitor and keep track of the international students who are leaving Canada. We’re not doing that. I did make mention of that recently.

There are some concerns. Canada is struggling to keep this international pool of talent, and I think we should make a huge effort to try to retain this talent in Canada. Is there a specific strategy or strategies that you know of or have spoken to the government about or that you will speak to the government about to retain this talent?

Senator Gold: Thank you, Senator Martin, for your question. On behalf of the government, I can say that I do not accept the premise of your question. This government is serious. Our credit rating, our job creation rate, the strength of our economy in various sectors and our ability to have recovered are thanks in no small measure to the investments that the federal government, as well as provincial governments, made, and the efforts of all Canadians.

This government is convinced that it is on the right course to position Canada to take advantage of the opportunities in this challenging world.

Hon. Marie-Françoise Mégie: Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. According to an article by investigative journalist Brigitte Bureau published on CBC this morning, one in four migrants, including children, ends up in prison.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International put out a report in June 2021 that looks into the detention of migrants in Canada and documents serious human rights violations. The report also makes the following six recommendations to the government:

Gradually abolish immigration detention.

End the use of solitary confinement in immigration detention.

Establish an independent body responsible for overseeing and investigating CBSA . . . .

Sign and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment . . . .

Conduct a national independent review of the immigration detention system . . . .

Withdraw Canada’s declaration and reservation to Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Does the government plan to implement the six recommendations made last year, and what timeline has it set to follow through on its commitments? If not, why not? Thank you.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Canada has a strong and fair refugee system that ensures the security of our borders and at the same time provides protection to those who need it. I have been assured that the detention of immigrants is a measure of last resort.

I have also been told that the government is making significant progress towards reform by implementing fundamental elements and the National Immigration Detention Framework to address the recommendations you highlighted, such as introducing a ministerial direction to end the housing of minors, ensuring that alternatives to detention are always considered first, developing health services and general conditions in immigration holding centres and reducing reliance on provincial facilities. The government recognizes that there is still work to be done and has made a commitment to continue fighting for a robust and balanced immigration system.

Hon. Marty Klyne: Honourable senators, the 2019 mandate letter of the Minister of Canadian Heritage provided that the minister take steps to make the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Heritage Centre a national museum. The RCMP Heritage Centre is a magnificent building situated on the front lawn of the RCMP Depot Division — one of the most elite police training academies in the world.

The RCMP Heritage Centre is an incredible facility, telling the stories of the RCMP, the most unique police force in the world. With that comes difficult and good stories. All the same, that is our history; they are our stories. The RCMP is inextricably linked to the development of Western Canada, which presents many lessons to be learned and not forgotten.

However, the most recent mandate letter of the Minister of Canadian Heritage does not refer to making the RCMP Heritage Centre a national museum. Senator Gold, can you please update us on the progress of this file and clarify who the minister responsible is?

Hon. Leo Housakos: Thank you, Senator Black, for the question, and thank you for the notice you gave me of the question.

Yes, we have been discussing at length the inclusion of user-generated content in Bill C-11. Just yesterday, we heard directly from digital creators themselves, and we will hear from several more over the next few weeks. They have expressed their concerns that regulating user-generated content will put those digital creators at a possible huge disadvantage.

One of our witnesses testified yesterday that, as it stands right now, there is no gate keeping on a platform like YouTube. Anyone, including 4-H, as you have properly pointed out, can post their content, and they do not need government assistance to do so.

Mr. Justin Tomchuk testified that the internet is a level playing field for all Canadians who want to participate. As we continue our study of this bill, I’m concerned that, instead of removing barriers for marginalized voices and not-for-profit organizations like 4-H, we will be imposing barriers that are not currently there and creating an unequal playing field.

Senator Black, I want to thank you for your question and for raising this important point. I think our committee will agree that we should call 4-H to appear before our committee as we continue to call on independent digital and content providers. I also think it is imperative that our committee continues to drill down on this piece of legislation because — as we have gone through our pre-study and now our study — we are finding out there is a lot of light that needs to be shed in a lot of dark corners of this particular bill.

Also, given the fact that there was a lack of witnesses and scrutiny on the other side, where it was very politicized, it is imperative that we continue to do our due diligence. Thank you, senator.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. The Government of Canada has worked hard, and continues to work hard, to ensure that Canada’s economy not only recovers from the strains that we all lived through with the pandemic but also emerges vigorous and stronger than ever. Indeed, the statistics demonstrate that.

The Government of Canada continues to invest, both in human capital and in infrastructure, to make sure that we are positioned to take advantage of the opportunities that face us in the 21st century. That includes a serious climate plan and the transition to a more resilient and sustainable economy.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, Canadian farmers are anticipating significant harvests of grain across the Prairies this fall, if it ever stops raining. That is an encouraging sign, given last year’s devastating drought, and it is something that could help ease sky-high food inflation. But Canada’s top grain companies are concerned that they will not be able to get their shipments to port on time due to what they are hearing from major rail companies. In the annual CN Grain Plan, the railway company warned that it expects total demand for rail services between Edmonton and the West Coast ports to exceed network capacity during some weeks.

Leader, Canadian farmers have dealt with the same issue year after year thanks to your government’s inaction in addressing our critical supply-chain issues. To help with this, I note that your government put together yet another task force in March, but you will forgive us and me on this side if we’re not all that encouraged.

When will your government finally act on this? When will you finally give Canadian farmers the break they deserve?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): All Canadians are grateful to Canadian farmers for the work they do and the food they produce — not only for us but also to benefit our economy through our exports. The challenges facing farmers — weather, as you noted; rising costs; and the like — are well-known. The government has many programs in place, as I have outlined in this chamber, to help members of the agricultural sector make their way through these sometimes very challenging times.

This government will continue to take these issues seriously and will work as hard as it can to make sure that Canadian farmers and the industries they support prosper.

Senator Gold: The government supported, and indeed took over, a major pipeline because it recognizes the importance of that for our industry. Provincial premiers, at times, have been the ones to discourage infrastructure investments in that area. The government remains committed to helping all sectors of our economy prosper in this changing economic environment.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Senator Gold, in the wake of the murder of a 22-year-old woman in Iran and crackdowns on protests by the Iranian regime, calls for your government to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, as a terrorist entity have been renewed. In an interview on Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly was asked four times if your government is finally considering this. She avoided the question on all accounts. Let’s see if we have better luck with you, leader.

Your NDP-Liberal government has repeatedly failed to call the IRGC what it is. You failed to do so after Flight PS752 was shot down by Iran, claiming the lives of 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents. The families of the victims still do not have the long-demanded justice for the loss of their loved ones, and your promises to them have gone completely unfulfilled.

It still does not seem to be a consideration for your government, even now that a young woman is dead for failing to comply with the regime’s veiling laws, and women in Iran are protesting in the streets. I cannot say that I expected anything else from our fake feminist Prime Minister. Leader, what is your government waiting for? Why has it not listed the IRGC as a terrorist entity?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): The Government of Canada, along with all Canadians, I fully hope and expect, condemns the reprehensible detention and killing of Mahsa Amini. Her death was the direct result of the systemic and continued harassment and repression of women by the authorities in Iran. Canada remains concerned, has condemned and will continue to condemn the actions of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the region. Canada has very robust measures to hold Iran to account. It has some of the toughest and most comprehensive sanctions in the world against Iran, and indeed, the IRGC-Quds Force is listed as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code, as well as three Iran-backed regional militias.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate) tabled the reply to Question No. 43, dated November 23, 2021, appearing on the Order Paper and Notice Paper in the name of the Honourable Senator Plett, regarding forced labour — Global Affairs Canada.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate) tabled the reply to Question No. 43, dated November 23, 2021, appearing on the Order Paper and Notice Paper in the name of the Honourable Senator Plett, regarding forced labour — Public Safety Canada.