Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

[English]

Hon. Pat Duncan: Honourable senators, I rise today on behalf of Senator Ravalia and myself to draw the attention of our colleagues to the ninth month, September. The ninth day of the ninth month has been recognized for more than 20 years in the Yukon as a day to draw attention to fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol effect, now termed fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, or FASD. Globally, the day is marked as International FASD Awareness Day.

Since 2020, the month of September has been officially recognized throughout Canada as FASD Awareness Month, and is a time to focus Canadians’ attention on what FASD is.

Honourable senators, FASD is the leading cause of neurodevelopmental disability in Canada and is estimated to affect over 1.4 million Canadians, which is 4% of the population. That is more than Canadians with autism, Down’s syndrome, Tourette’s syndrome and cerebral palsy combined.

Individuals with FASD experience significant adverse outcomes and secondary disabilities. Of the individuals with FASD, 90% also have mental health issues. These individuals often struggle in school and at work, and often end up in and out of correctional facilities.

Another significant number — nine — beyond the usual number of months in a pregnancy, is the economic impact of FASD: The estimated annual cost across sectors in Canada, including health, justice, social services and education, is $9.7 billion.

At the outset, I referenced our dear colleague Senator Ravalia. He, Senator Anderson, several colleagues throughout this chamber and I are collaborating to raise awareness about FASD with Canada FASD Research Network, now known as CanFASD.

Honourable senators, FASD is entirely preventable, and many provinces and the territories have a variety of programs to encourage safe and healthy alcohol-free pregnancies. CanFASD has recommended a national approach that includes the best practices of the provincial and territorial prevention programs and, most importantly, a coordinated national, evidence-based approach that supports the caregivers of those affected and standardizes the complicated diagnostic process.

We look forward to discussing these initiatives in the coming days, and we want to encourage honourable senators to meet with representatives of CanFASD and Rural FASD Support Network on their FASD Awareness Day on Parliament Hill on October 20. Today, on this last sitting day of the ninth month, we simply ask that our colleagues recognize the reality of FASD and its impact on Canada and Canadians.

Thank you, colleagues, for your time and attention. Mahsi’cho, gùnáłchîsh.

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

That the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans be authorized to examine and report on Canada’s seal populations and their effect on Canada’s fisheries, including but not limited to:

(a)how Canada’s seal populations have been managed by the federal government thus far;

(b)the identification of the most appropriate and effective ways of managing seal populations going forward;

(c)how Canada determines research priorities and funding allocations for research related to seals, and any research and/or funding gaps; and

That the committee submit its final report to the Senate no later than December 31, 2023, and that the committee retain all powers necessary to publicize its findings for 180 days after the tabling of the final report.

Senator Gold: Thank you for your follow-up question. I’m not going to take the time because I, frankly, don’t think —

Senator Plett: Yes or no.

Hon. Renée Dupuis: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, in his Report 4 on the audit of Infrastructure Canada’s funding of climate-ready infrastructure released on April 4, 2022, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development found, among other things:

 . . . because the department did not integrate Canada’s commitments to meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals into the design of its programs, it did not monitor or report on whether the programs were contributing to these goals.

Why did the department not include targets and indicators into the design of its programs to measure how it contributes or not to achieving the UN’s sustainable development goals by 2030?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. This government, unlike any other government before, has taken concrete steps — not simply rhetorical steps — to advance this country on the difficult path toward truth and reconciliation. As many have said, and properly so, the first step is to confront the truth of our history. And certainly on this day, as we anticipate the celebration of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, it behooves us to acknowledge the very important steps that have been taken, the many measures and Calls to Action that are being worked on and are under way, but also to be serious parliamentarians in recognition, as we are told by the elders in our communities and by all interested parties, that this is a long, hard, multi-generation task.

This government has begun the work. In the tradition that I am part of and I’m proud to embrace, it is said that we are not obligated to finish the work, but we are not permitted not to start it. This government has started it. I know the government and the country can count on all of us to continue.

Senator Housakos: Government leader, that’s exactly the response I expected because it’s the response we’ve been getting all along now for years.

We had a Justin Trudeau in 2013 who believed in accountability when he was in the opposition. The irony is, he was trying to hold to account a government that had historically low inflation, a fiscally responsible government and a government that left the country in 2015 with a balanced deficit. Seven years later, we have Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with historic record-high inflation, historic record-high deficits, historic record-high debts and a cost of living that is destroying middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join that class.

At the end of the day, to go back to the question, my supplementary is simple: In the real world, we have something called accountability. It exists in corporations, in academic institutions — it exists in almost every walk of life. Maybe one or two institutions don’t have that realm of responsibility. For this economic inflationary catastrophe that middle-class and poor Canadians are going through, who are we going to hold responsible? Clearly, from your answer, it’s everybody’s fault but the government’s.

Do we hold the Bank of Canada responsible? Do we ask him to resign? Do we blame the two Liberal finance ministers, one of whom was already thrown under the bus to make up for the WE scandal? Is it the current finance minister? Or, at some point, can we hold responsible for “JustinFlation” the Prime Minister in general?

Senator Gold: Again, Senator Plett, thank you for your question, but it is simply not true and, dare I say, misleading to attribute the rise in the costs of housing to this government.

This government is not responsible for the influx of foreign buyers in certain markets, notably Vancouver, but in my own city of Montreal and Toronto as well, which has inflated the cost of housing dramatically. This government introduced a two-year freeze on foreign buyers to address that.

It is simply not the fault of this government that worldwide supply chain problems caused by the pandemic increased the cost of construction materials exponentially. I can say from personal experience, being at the tail end of a major renovation, how much more it has cost me — and I’m in a fortunate position — and what it must cost all Canadians who are seeking to acquire, build or renovate homes.

Once again, colleagues — and we all know this — these are complicated, multi-faceted, polycentric problems. Although it is totally appropriate, and I embrace the role of the opposition in this chamber to hold the government to account, it is nonetheless allowing me to say that one must be held to account for what is within one’s control and responsibility to control.

In that regard, I think the government’s plans and actions to help Canadians through these difficult economic times stand for themselves and are worthy of support.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Senator Gold, for our questions to be predictable makes a lot of sense because we’re not getting answers. For your answers to be predictable, they shouldn’t be. We should be getting the answers that we are asking questions about. We don’t, so we have to keep asking. Let me ask you a predictable question, leader.

The country’s home ownership rate is on the decline, according to Statistics Canada. The most affected group is young Canadians between the ages of 25 and 29, who are finding it increasingly difficult, leader, to afford the average home in today’s outrageous housing market. Meanwhile, the renter rate has grown at more than twice the rate of ownership of households between 2011 and 2021. Who has been in government during that time?

So this is Trudeau’s Canada, is it, leader? Where young Canadians are being locked out of home ownership and having their futures and opportunities robbed by a reckless government pursuing inflationary policies to no end. What is your predictable answer and solution to this problem, leader?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you. The problem facing young Canadians seeking to enter or stay in the housing market is a very real one, and it is exacerbated, to be sure, by the necessity of interest rates rising to address inflation, a concern that has been raised, properly so, in this chamber many times, even if the government and the opposition disagree as to the causes or even how to describe it.

That said, the Government of Canada, and not merely in the provisions of Bill C-31, which we will receive, but in other measures, is taking steps to assist Canadians in meeting the challenge, whether in acquiring or renting homes.

I’ve mentioned all of these in the chamber before, so in the interest of brevity, I will give you the top lines: provisions to provide financing for the building of new housing stock to create a greater supply, support for those seeking to rent and so on. The Government of Canada is committed to helping Canadians get through this period, and that’s why it has introduced measures such as in Bill C-31 and other bills to assist Canadians.

Senator Plett: Well, leader, you say that the government and the opposition have differences of opinion, and you’re certainly right there. I guess the main thing is that we have statistics and facts on our side.

Regardless of what your government says, regardless of your opinion, the facts indicate that housing is only becoming less affordable for the average household. This is during your government’s tenure. In fact, a report released by the Parliamentary Budget Officer just this morning indicates that the gap between the national average house price and what an average household could afford has increased from 45% in December 2021 to 67% in August 2022.

Leader, this NDP-Liberal government has had six years — well, I guess the NDP hasn’t been part of the government for six years, but it has been part of it for at least the last year — to fix the issue of housing affordability and has failed to develop a plan that works.

When will you stop doubling down on a failing system that hurts Canadians and continues to let supply lag far behind demand?

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 December 14, 2021, by the Honourable Senator Marshall, concerning the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security — National Defence.

Response to the oral question asked in the Senate on December 14, 2021, by the Honourable Senator Marshall, concerning the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security — Public Services and Procurement Canada.

Response to the oral question asked in the Senate on December 14, 2021, by the Honourable Senator Marshall, concerning the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security — Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

(Response to question raised by the Honourable Elizabeth Marshall on December 14, 2021)

The Communications Security Establishment’s Supplementary Estimates B 2021-22 included funding to enhance the reliability and security of Government of Canada information technology networks ($15.6M). This funding will enhance and expand the Government of Canada’s existing network. It will also improve the robustness and capacity of the Government of Canada’s connections to the internet and to cloud service providers while providing the security posture (i.e., monitoring and defence capabilities) required to protect Government of Canada data and applications.

In light of the networks upgrade that Shared Services Canada will implement via the Secure Cloud Enablement and Defence project, the Communications Security Establishment will invest $15.6M to upgrade the processing capabilities of our infrastructure in order to maintain our level of cyber defence services, as well as investing now in order to be able to absorb expecting growth in Government of Canada traffic.

(Response to question raised by the Honourable Elizabeth Marshall on December 14, 2021)

SSC’s Supplementary Estimates (B) 2021-22 included funding to enhance the reliability and security of Government of Canada information technology networks. The funding is for the Secure Cloud Enablement and Defence Evolution and the Departmental Connectivity and Monitoring initiative to enhance the reliability and security of Government of Canada information technology networks ($44.0 million). This funding will support the Secure Cloud to Ground operational activities and thereby support Shared Services Canada in delivering up to PROTECTED B secure cloud connectivity to partner departments, which is only one of the numerous cybersecurity projects within SSC’s project portfolio.

(Response to question raised by the Honourable Elizabeth Marshall on December 14, 2021)

The Government of Canada works continuously to enhance cyber security in Canada by preventing attacks through robust security measures, identifying cyber threats and vulnerabilities, and by preparing for and responding to all kinds of cyber incidents to better protect Canada and Canadians.

On 10 December 2021, Apache (the vendor of the software in question) released a Security Advisory highlighting a critical remote code execution vulnerability in Log4j, a widely deployed logging utility used in a variety of consumer and enterprise services, websites, applications, and Operational Technology (OT) products.

As part of the response to this global security vulnerability, some GC organizations proactively took their online services offline to allow the time to assess the impact and take mitigating steps to prevent potential exploitation. All services are now available.

There has been no indication that GC systems have been compromised because of this vulnerability.

The Hon. the Speaker informed the Senate that a message had been received from the House of Commons returning Bill S-206, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (disclosure of information by jurors), and acquainting the Senate that they had passed this bill without amendment.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

[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.

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: Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?