The Hon. the Speaker: Are senators ready for the question?

An Hon. Senator: Question.

Hon. Senators: Question.

The Hon. the Speaker: Are honourable senators ready for the question?

Hon. Claude Carignan: In the past few days, unions and advocacy groups for seniors and the poor held a press conference to present their demands to the provincial political parties currently on the campaign trail. The press conference on dental care was happening at the same time your government was introducing Bill C-31, which will give children under the age of 12 $650 for dental care. Stéphane Defoy, from the Clinique communautaire de Pointe-Saint-Charles in Montreal, considers the idea of sending a cheque to certain families completely inadequate.

He said that he would have liked to see the money being given to the provinces, since health care is a provincial jurisdiction. The provinces could then have created their own dental care plans. Mr. Defoy said:

Ultimately, health care is a provincial jurisdiction. . . . What we want is a firm commitment from each political party.

He went on to say that the federal government should transfer the money to the provinces so that they can create a proper program.

Did the federal government consult the provinces before introducing this bill?

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, when shall this bill be read the second time?

(On motion of Senator Moncion, bill placed on the Orders of the Day for second reading two days hence.)

[English]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the family of the Honourable Senator Shugart: his spouse, Linda, and his daughter, Heather.

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

Senator Gold: I don’t think that I need to educate the Senate about the division and separation of powers in a liberal democracy and how that has served Canada and its national security interests well. Suffice it to say that I stand by and support the statement of the minister to which you alluded.

Senator Gold: Senator Housakos, I think we both enjoy some aspects of this, but if my answers are predictable, so too, frankly, are your questions.

This government has made enormous efforts in order to ensure that the Senate returns to its proper role and not simply be an echo chamber of the House of Commons. Alas, that message, I guess, is not accepted by all.

The fact is that inflation and the hardships Canadians are facing are caused by multiple factors, some within and many without our control. It is easy and facile and, dare I say, hardly sober and serious, the need to blame someone for something that is much more complex. It may be satisfying, and it may work well on Twitter clips, but it is not a proper and, dare I say, responsible way to help Canadians understand not only the difficult situation that they are in — and they are — but the help that all parliamentarians should be affording them and that this government is doing its best to provide.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): The struggles Canadians are experiencing are real. They are not the function of this government’s mismanagement. On the contrary, this government has been there for Canadians and will continue to be there for Canadians with very concrete measures, as I was at pains to elaborate on over a certain amount of background noise the other day in the chamber.

The fact remains that the measures this government is taking are there to secure the integrity and well-being of all Canadians, including their future.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Brian McConaghy and Graeme Illman of Ratanak International. They are the guests of the Honourable Senators Martin and Busson.

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

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of our former colleague the Honourable Murray Sinclair.

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

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable organization, Ratanak International, based in my home province of B.C.

For over 33 years, Ratanak International has been dedicated to bringing awareness to the horrific issue of human trafficking in Cambodia and has helped so many individuals and families restore the freedoms they were robbed of.

Ratanak International began in 1989 when a little girl by the name of Ratanak died in post-genocide Cambodia. The organization was created in her memory and has since become a powerful movement and organization advocating against child abuse, human trafficking and slavery. Ratanak International is fighting to protect some of the most vulnerable members of our global community and ensuring that they have a voice. They provide essential support to these individuals as they journey down the long and painful road to recovery and finding a way forward.

Last night, Senator Bev Busson and I had the honour of co‑hosting Ratanak International on Parliament Hill along with MP Elizabeth May, MP Arnold Viersen and MP Judy Sgro. It was a truly inspiring and enlightening event, giving each of us a clear call to action as Canadian parliamentarians and the legislative work we can do.

Our newest colleague, Senator Ian Shugart, was also part of the event as he graciously introduced Brian McConaghy, Founding Director of Ratanak International, whom he has known personally for over 40 years. Brian was an RCMP officer at the time of Ratanak’s death and began to work in the midst of a civil war. With his extensive policy knowledge and forensic expertise, he was able to help investigate Canadian sexual predators abusing children throughout Asia and founded Ratanak International. Brian’s leadership and tireless efforts — and that of the entire Ratanak team in Canada and Cambodia — are truly commendable.

Each year, thousands of young women, young men, girls and boys are trafficked and exploited in Cambodia. Their childhood is taken from them and replaced with the fear of being sold into slavery, facing unimaginable circumstances and treatment.

Ratanak International has spent three decades working and building relations and a strong partnership with the Cambodian government to protect these vulnerable individuals in Cambodia. Now, it is our turn to do what we can as legislators to support organizations like Ratanak.

Honourable senators, please join me in acknowledging the work of Ratanak International as they continue to bring light and hope into the lives of many. Thank you.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Ruth and Rick Layden. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Coyle.

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

Hon. Robert Black: Honourable senators, I rise to speak about the impacts of Hurricane Fiona in the Atlantic region of Canada.

While I am not from the region myself, my focus in this chamber is agriculture, and the Atlantic region is certainly known for its fair share of the industry. From potatoes and wild blueberries to lobsters and dairy, agriculture in its many forms represents one of the biggest sectors in the east.

As we have heard in this chamber this week, this devastating storm has taken lives, destroyed property and left hundreds of thousands without power. Even without the added threat of tropical storms, autumn is one of the most important, and stressful, seasons for our agricultural communities as it coincides with the harvest.

Sadly, this powerful storm hit the East Coast’s fishing and farming industries unlike anything we’ve seen in our lifetimes. In fact, some farmers and fruit growers say they’re worried that they could lose a whole season’s worth of work as a result. Unfortunately, we don’t know the extent of the losses yet. Only time will tell the true cost of this storm.

Earlier this week, President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture — a lifelong resident of Prince Edward Island — Mary Robinson took time out of dealing with the storm’s aftermath to speak with me about the destruction and impacts on the agricultural community. She shared with me that:

Many farm families have lost buildings that are integral to their operations. We are seeing significantly greater losses than we’ve ever seen. The Atlantic region needs some kind of prioritization — whether it’s tarp building for dairy farmers or getting manpower out here to clear trees and reinstate electricity to ensure that warehouses that store our crops can actually receive the shipments. We will need to patchwork our way through this harvest season.

CFA President Robinson also highlighted the need for measures to enhance business risk management programs and to strengthen and secure supply chains, all of which will help support Eastern Canada during this challenging time. I am hopeful that governments of all levels will work proactively with the affected region to support their recovery.

At this time, I’d like to thank the many organizations that have already offered their assistance to those in need. I would also like to take this opportunity to highlight the important role that agriculture must play in our fight against climate change.

Honourable colleagues, agriculture is one of the most severely impacted sectors, and there can no longer be a disconnect between the Canadian agricultural industry and our climate targets. In just the past few years, we have seen the heat dome, the floods in British Columbia and Hurricane Fiona decimate agricultural communities. We cannot continue to expect the industry to work alone, without the support of the federal government, in making their operations greener, cleaner and more sustainable for generations to come.

Thank you, meegwetch.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Paul Barber. He is the guest of the Honourable Senator Dasko.

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

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Leader, I want to follow up on my question to you from yesterday about your government’s reluctance to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, as a terrorist entity, which you deflected very similarly to what your colleague, Minister Joly, did on Monday. Leader, your government’s foot-dragging on this is truly puzzling especially when you consider that in 2012 the previous government listed Iran as a state supporter of terror.

Senator Gold, why then is the main terror arm of the state not fully sanctioned and listed as a terrorist entity?

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Honourable senators, I give notice that, two days hence:

I will call the attention of the Senate to intimate partner violence, especially in rural areas across Canada, in response to the coroner’s inquest conducted in Renfrew County, Ontario.

Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, pursuant to the order adopted December 7, 2021, I would like to inform the Senate that Question Period with the Honourable David Lametti, P.C., M.P., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, will take place on Wednesday, October 5, 2022, at 3 p.m.

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Gold, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator LaBoucane-Benson:

That the following Address be presented to Her Excellency the Governor General of Canada:

To Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary May Simon, Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Military Merit, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY:

We, Her Majesty’s most loyal and dutiful subjects, the Senate of Canada in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Excellency for the gracious Speech which Your Excellency has addressed to both Houses of Parliament.