Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate) tabled the reply to Question No. 94, dated November 23, 2021, appearing on the Order Paper and Notice Paper in the name of the Honourable Senator Plett, regarding the Security and Intelligence Diversity and Inclusion Tiger Team.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate) tabled the reply to Question No. 128, dated February 8, 2022, appearing on the Order Paper and Notice Paper in the name of the Honourable Senator Plett, regarding the Royal Canadian Air Force — bio-containment.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Would the honourable senator take a question?

Senator Bovey: Absolutely.

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

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. Again, the fluctuation in energy prices and increasing food prices are a concern for all Canadians, regardless of their province. They do vary from province to province and city to city.

As I outlined yesterday and will not repeat, the government has a suite of measures that it has put in place and continues to put in place to provide help to Canadians, especially those with fewer means than most of us in this chamber enjoy, to get through these difficult times. It will continue to use its best efforts and resources, working, of course, with its partners and counterparts in the provinces and, in some cases, municipalities, to address the challenges that Canadians face.

Senator Plett: Leader, for grain farmers the railways represent a lifeline, as they rely on this critical infrastructure to get their product to customers across Canada and around the world. Shipment delays translate to a higher cost to the grain company. The biggest loser in the end, Senator Gold, is not only the Canadian farmer but the entire world, especially in the context of the invasion of Ukraine.

Of course, we cannot fault the railway companies for this either, as so much of their capacity is taken up by Canada’s oil and natural gas due to this NDP-Liberal government’s efforts to prevent pipeline projects. Leader, why does this NDP-Liberal government not recognize the ripple effect this has on our supply chains and other commodity industries?

Hon. Robert Black: Honourable senators, on Wednesdays the Canadian Senators Group directs questions to committee chairs. Therefore, today my question is for my honourable colleague, the Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications.

Senator Housakos, I understand that the pre-study the committee has been conducting on Bill C-11 has been an extensive process, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and our honourable colleagues on the committee for their continued dedication to tackling this topic.

I know that many Canadians have concerns with Bill C-11. I recently heard from members of 4-H Canada — an organization that is close to my heart, as many of you know — who shared concerns that the bill could set back many non-profit organizations, such as 4-H, that produce independent content on YouTube.

With that in mind, can you advise if your committee has heard from expert witnesses about concerns regarding the role of content creation and disallowing content on YouTube, as well as on other such platforms within the context of Bill C-11? Can you advise us if there are any potential impacts on non-profit organizations’ use of YouTube? Also, are there any other concerns that you believe the chamber should be made aware of with regard to this issue?

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

Hon. Michèle Audette: Kuei.

[Editor’s Note: Senator Audette spoke in Innu.]

Colleagues, I would like to acknowledge, thank and give hope to all nations, but especially the one that is hosting us today on their unceded territory, the Anishinaabe nation. Tshinashkumitnau.

Today, I stand before you to honour the memory of a gentle warrior named Joyce Echaquan.

Two years ago, she left us in a very tragic manner. This Atikamekw woman tragically died at the Joliette hospital under a slew of racist insults from the staff. The horrific video of this incident outraged the world and raised the public’s awareness about systemic racism and discrimination.

Faced with this intolerable and unacceptable situation, the Conseil des Atikamekw de Manawan and the Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw proposed Joyce’s Principle, a principle the draws inspiration from the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This principle also seeks to ensure that all Indigenous people have the right to equitable access to health and social services without discrimination, as well as the right to enjoy the best possible physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. In fact, colleagues, if you have not already done so, I encourage you to read Joyce’s Principle and support it.

Coroner Kamel’s report also called on the Government of Quebec to acknowledge the existence of systemic racism within our institutions and commit to helping eliminate it. I would like to quote from Ms. Kamel’s report:

It is clear that the road to reconciliation is a long and arduous one. Efforts are all the more necessary, as the findings of this enquiry indicate that Mrs. Echaquan was indeed ostracised, and that her death was directly related to the care that she received during her hospitalisation in September of 2020, and that her death could have been avoided.

The courage in the words aiming at pacifying our relationships with others is crucial. We must have a firm will to name, but without having a cosmetic intent regarding a principle that is so clear: The right of all to goodwill and to living in a free and democratic society, in the hope that every human being deserves the same services with dignity and respect and who above all, deserves to live.

I made a commitment to Joyce, to her husband Carol, to her late father Michel, who is now with his daughter, and to her whole family and the entire Atikamekw community to walk by their side, to walk with them. We have a responsibility and a duty to work together to change things.

Carol, Jemima, the children, Diane, Solange and Chief Flamand, you are always in my thoughts.

Joyce, you inspired us with your courage. I am hopeful, and I will carry on.

Iame.

[English]

Hon. Rosemary Moodie: Honourable senators, I address you on behalf of the Canadian Association of Parliamentarians for Population Development, or CAPPD — a multi-party group of parliamentarians committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights for all — of which I am a proud member.

Today, on International Safe Abortion Day, this group recognizes the tireless efforts of health care providers and community organizations, across Canada and around the world, who work to support access to safe and dignified abortion care. Globally, a staggering 45% of abortions are unsafe. Unsafe abortion is a leading cause of maternal death globally and hospitalizes millions of women every year.

While abortion care is about providing essential health care, it’s also about the right to control one’s own body. The United States Supreme Court’s decision to repeal Roe v. Wade is the culmination of decades of attacks on abortion rights, led and funded by anti-human rights groups. These actors are organizing against the rights of women.

We need to organize in support of human rights and equality. CAPPD welcomes the 2022 World Health Organization’s Abortion care guideline that recommends the full decriminalization of abortion and universal access to abortion and self-management options. Canada must continue the important work of increasing access to abortion care in our country, as well as continue to champion this work globally.

As a group of parliamentarians, CAPPD is committed to advancing work that would help close gaps in accessing safe abortion care in Canada and around the world and support the fundamental right to bodily autonomy for everyone. It welcomes others joining us in our collective work in this area.

Canada has a strong history of commitment to sexual and reproductive health rights, both domestically and internationally, with a series of investments in recent years. This commitment should make us all very proud. We must continue to safeguard access to sexual and reproductive health services and ensure that we continue to work hard to end preventable death and illness from unsafe abortion worldwide.

Hon. Dennis Glen Patterson: Honourable senators, the preamble of the 1993 Nunavut Land Claims Agreement specifically recognized “the contributions of Inuit to Canada’s history, identity and sovereignty in the Arctic.”

I’m happy to announce that I’m working with Inuit development corporations from all regions of Inuit Nunangat to host an Arctic sovereignty and security summit in Iqaluit on October 3.

After welcoming the early explorers, whalers, traders and missionaries who needed help navigating and surviving in the Arctic, Inuit have provided ongoing contributions to sovereignty and security in Canada’s Arctic. They have been an important presence during the operation of the Distant Early Warning Line system during the Cold War, and Inuit corporations have played a lead role in the cleanup of that DEW Line and other contaminated sites from that era. More recently, a pan-Arctic, Inuit-led consortium, Pan Arctic Inuit Logistics Corporation, Nasittuq, has recently been contracted by Canada again to operate and maintain the North Warning System.

That technology is now outdated and in need of modernization — a reality that decades of Russian militarization in their Arctic and Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked and reckless invasion of Ukraine has highlighted this year. So it was welcome and long-awaited news that Canada is now committed to NORAD modernization with a commitment of $4.9 billion in Budget 2022, and a further $20 billion over the coming decade.

Arctic sovereignty cannot and must not be only about militarization. It must be about more than new military hardware and modernizing surveillance technology. It must also be about the people and communities of the Arctic. This summit is being organized with the aim of sensitizing our federal government to opportunities for legacy community infrastructure and continued Inuit participation in NORAD modernization. We must seize this opportunity to reinforce Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic by also working toward narrowing the infrastructure gap in the North in communications, transportation, energy, roads, ports and airports. This is about not neglecting the human and community dimension in establishing sovereignty and security in the Arctic.

In the past, sovereignty and security in the Arctic has come at the expense of Inuit, including a tragic history of forced relocation. Today, we have the opportunity to include Inuit from the very beginning, letting them lead the discussion with their stated priorities and goals.

I am happy that the Senate Defence Committee will travel to the North in its forthcoming fact-finding tour as part of its study on Arctic sovereignty. I’d like to thank Senator Dean, chair of the committee, and his steering committee colleagues for supporting this opportunity for our Senate committee and its staff. I hope this summit will be helpful to the committee in formulating its recommendations to our government on strengthening Arctic sovereignty. Qujannamik.

Hon. Fabian Manning: Honourable senators, today I’m pleased to present chapter 61 of “Telling Our Story.”

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

Senator Manning: Many country fans throughout the world believe they know the life story of Johnny Cash, known far and wide as the “man in black.” His is a life story filled with extremely high peaks and even deeper valleys that has been told and retold through various books, magazines, newspapers, and even an Oscar-winning movie titled Walk the Line.

The “Folsom Prison Blues” singer never shot a man in Reno, but, in October of 1961, Johnny Cash shot and bagged a 500‑pound moose in the Victoria Lake area, just south of Millertown in Newfoundland and Labrador.

A week or so before his trip to our province, Cash performed at a charity show at Toronto’s Massey Hall. At that particular time, the multi-talented singer was struggling. His career had hit a slump.

During that period, a fast-talking Canadian concert promoter by the name of Saul Holiff was organizing Canadian tours for Cash, and he knew that Cash loved to hunt. He asked the singer, “Have you ever hunted moose in Newfoundland?” Of course, Cash said, “No.” Holiff followed up with, “If I can set up a tour around a moose hunt in October, are you in?” Cash quickly replied, “Are you kidding? I am there.”

The tour made stops in Grand Falls-Windsor, Stephenville, Corner Brook, Argentia, Harbour Grace and St. John’s. When female singer Rose Maddox quit in the middle of the tour, Holiff hired June Carter as her replacement. Seven years later, Cash married June Carter after proposing to her on stage in London, Ontario.

At the end of the tour, Saul Holiff became Johnny Cash’s full‑time manager from 1961 to 1973, helping Cash grow into a country music legend. They sealed their partnership with a handshake at the airport in Gander on October 10, 1961.

With his Department of Mines, Agriculture and Resources moose licence numbered 20206, issued on October 11, 1961, Cash and his entourage headed out for the logging camp at Victoria Lake. Accompanying them as their trusted and capable guide was former wildlife officer Herman Whalen, who was 29 years old at the time — the same age as Cash himself — and both men had served in the Air Force.

Mr. Whalen said that they were never stuck for something to talk about, and Cash was very personable, talking mostly about his family. Whalen said Cash thought Newfoundland was a beautiful place and had dreams of coming back.

The first morning, just 20 minutes outside the logging camp, Whalen saw a moose in the distance. Whalen told Cash it was a female moose and did not have any antlers. Cash replied, “You can’t eat antlers.”

From 200 yards away, Johnny Cash felled the 500-pound moose, and another interesting chapter in Newfoundland’s history was unfolding. The moose was later sent to Grand Falls where the meat was packaged and sent on to Cash a few days later.

In 2012, following the passing of Cash’s manager Saul Holiff, his filmmaker son, Jonathan, discovered a box labelled “Johnny Cash.” It contained hundreds of photos, letters and audio recordings, and from those he produced the documentary My Father and the Man in Black.

A short time later, Jonathan was contacted by a collector from St. John’s who had 30 photos of Johnny Cash’s hunting trip to Newfoundland in 1961 and suggested that Holiff, Jr. tell the tale of the visit.

While I am confident that Johnny Cash was much more comfortable at the logging camp at Victoria Lake in Newfoundland than he was at San Quentin State Prison, there was no ring of fire. It was just a single shot that brought down a moose and went down in the history books of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Senator Gold, in last week’s ministerial Question Period with Minister Marc Miller, I asked a question regarding the inherent problems with Canada’s revolving-door justice system, which too often lets violent offenders roam free, as was the case of Myles Sanderson, who prior to committing the horrific attacks in Saskatchewan had 59 former convictions.

Your colleague’s answer was:

There are systemic natures to the violence and the response needs to be a systemic one that cannot be limited to policing our way out of the problem or locking people in jail and throwing away the key.

Leader, I found this answer troubling. While I can appreciate that not every case is the same, it is certainly up to our justice system to exercise good judgment to determine which cases put the safety of Canadians at risk. We sadly saw what the consequences are of failing to properly do so earlier this month in Saskatchewan.

Leader, unlike your colleague, do you believe that there are any circumstances in which an individual should be incarcerated for a certain period of time? Aren’t 59 convictions enough?

Hon. Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia: Honourable senators, I rise today to recognize Easter Seals’ one-hundredth year of operations in this country.

Easter Seals is Canada’s largest local provider of programs and services for persons with disabilities. Since 1922, the organization and its 10 provincial members have been working to create a more inclusive and accessible society that honours the contributions of Canadians of all abilities.

For 100 years now, Easter Seals organizations have been serving a broad range of individuals — both children and adults — with varying physical, intellectual, sensory and learning disabilities to help to ensure that every person has access to the equipment, programs, services and support that they need to make the most of their abilities and live their lives to the fullest.

Easter Seals provides a wide range of services and supports, including access to assistive and adaptive technologies, specialized education and job training programs and services, sport, recreation and leisure programs, rehabilitative and occupational therapy, residential and respite programs, day and overnight camps.

For 100 years, Easter Seals has represented the best values of our country by working to build a more inclusive and more welcoming Canada — a Canada where every person can thrive, contribute and live the life they choose with independence and dignity.

I had the pleasure of meeting with the Easter Seals delegation this morning in my office, and I’d like to welcome them and thank them for coming to Ottawa to share in this momentous occasion. In particular, I welcome our youth ambassadors.

I have no doubt that for the next 100 years, Easter Seals will continue to honour and support the needs and aspirations of Canadians living with disabilities and their families by providing vital services and promoting access, inclusion, opportunity and community.

Please join me in thanking Easter Seals for their century of service. With all that has already been accomplished, I am eager to see what the next century of achievement will bring.

The Easter Seals’ one-hundredth anniversary celebrations will continue tonight at the Métropolitan Brasserie. I hope to see you there. Thank you, meegwetch.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. I share your concern and all Canadians’ concerns for the quality and efficacy of our criminal justice system. I agree with the minister that there are many aspects that need to be addressed, including our correctional system and the criminal justice system. But there are broader social determinants of crime and delinquency that also have to be considered. If your question is whether I believe in mandatory minimum sentences, I think the evidence is compelling that they fail to deliver on their promise. In that regard, the government is very pleased to have brought forward Bill C-5, which is currently being studied in committee and, I hope, has the support of all senators.

Senator Plett: Senator Gold, I’m sure you can appreciate that it is not very reassuring to Canadians to hear a minister of the government, or indeed the leader of the government in this chamber, say the solution is not to lock people in jail and throw away the key. Nor does it offer any comfort to the families who have lost loved ones in the Saskatchewan tragedy. I guess Canadians will just have to lock their doors because the only answer the Liberals have to offer is ideology.

Leader, how many more tragedies need to occur for this Liberal government to understand that their soft-on-crime approach only puts Canadians at risk?