Senator Gold: Thank you for your question. The government is engaged on both of these issues. When decisions are made with regard to the position and the bill of rights to which you referred, they will be communicated.

Senator Plett: Leader, the end of Minister Lametti’s statement in response to the Supreme Court ruling said, “We will continue to stand with those affected by this terrible crime and support them.”

Leader, how does leaving the position of Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime vacant since October 1 of last year show support for victims and their families? And how does letting the review of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights go two years overdue show support for victims and their families?

Senator Boehm: Senator Bovey, the announcement on Monday by Minister Joly with respect to the launch of the internal modernization exercise was encouraging. I don’t know if it was stimulated by our push from this place or not. Like the “fit for purpose” study of Canada’s foreign service and the modernization of Global Affairs, which the committee is currently working on, I think it’s too early to say how much cultural diplomacy will factor into the deliberation. We’ve just started the study and we are moving along.

For Global Affairs Canada’s own review specifically, I want to point out that from what I have seen, much of its focus will be on internal processes such as hiring and staffing. That said — and I, of course, can’t speak for that department — as you know, senator, I have very similar views to your own. In fact, we have been dealing with the cultural and arts community in Canada for some time on this question. I would want to assure you that as chair of the committee I will look at all ways and means in the future of our work to support these common objectives and especially the bolstering of cultural diplomacy.

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, my question is for the government leader. I’m going to return to the issue that I didn’t get to fully articulate yesterday regarding the government’s broken promise to provide $3.2 billion to the provinces and territories for the hiring of 7,500 new family doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners.

According to the B.C. College of Family Physicians, almost one million people in my province alone do not have a family doctor and are unable to get one — one million. Earlier this month, the Canadian Medical Association said the lack of access to family doctors is a growing crisis, and it urged all levels of government to address the issues that are “decimating primary care across the country.”

Leader, I will try again to ask, why did the NDP-Liberal budget fail to include this specific promise to fund 7,500 new doctors and nurses starting this fiscal year?

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

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

Senator Martin: As I’m sure you know, some Canadians who don’t have access to a family doctor will ultimately seek care at a hospital emergency room. This past weekend, three hospitals that serve smaller communities in different parts of B.C. closed their emergency rooms due to staff shortages. These types of closures are becoming a common occurrence.

On Monday, the mayor of Clearwater told CTV that their local hospital emergency room has been closed so many times in recent months that he can’t even keep track of the number of times this has happened.

Leader, does the NDP-Liberal government have any timeline for when it intends to fulfill its promise of 7,500 new doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners in Canada? And how did you determine that 7,500 was an adequate number?

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Beau James Atkins, of Evolve Family Law, and his son Parker Paul Atkins. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Cotter.

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 members of the women’s high school tackle football teams of the Ottawa Catholic School Board. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Deacon (Ontario).

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

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, my question, again, is for the government leader in the Senate.

Leader, a Supreme Court of Canada ruling last week, which struck down life without parole for mass murderers, means that the man who killed six people in a Quebec mosque in 2017 may be eligible to apply for parole. His lawyer called the court decision a glimmer of hope, yet the families of his victims live each and every day with the pain and loss of their loved ones.

On Friday, the Minister of Justice released a statement that read, “. . . we will respect the court’s decision and carefully review its implications and path forward.”

Leader, what does that mean? Why has the NDP-Liberal government completely ruled out a legislative response? What is your path forward? To just move on and let the victims fall by the wayside once again?

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 2022 Spring Reports of the Auditor General of Canada to the Parliament of Canada, pursuant to the Auditor General Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. A-17,sbs. 7(5).

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Odelia Quewezance. She is the guest of the Honourable Senator Pate.

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

Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That, when the Senate next adjourns after the adoption of this motion, it do stand adjourned until Tuesday, June 7, 2022, at 2 p.m.

Senator Black: I apologize for not knowing that rule.

The Hon. the Speaker: That’s fine, Senator Black. No need to apologize.

[Translation]

The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Black, since we have started, we’ll go along with a supplementary question.

The Hon. the Speaker: Before calling upon Senator Richards, I should point out to honourable colleagues that pursuant to rule 4-8(1), questions can be asked of chairs of committees but not of chairs of subcommittees. There have been a number of rulings in the past with respect to that. Since the question has been asked, I’ll leave it to Senator Richards whether or not he wants to answer it for now, but I would ask colleagues to bear that in mind in the future.

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question and for following up.

The government is aware of your question, but I haven’t gotten a response, unfortunately. I will try again to get an answer and will get back to you soon.

[English]

Senator Smith: I would appreciate that information.

The government also maintains its commitment to transition its fleet of light-duty vehicles to 100% zero-emission vehicles by 2030. As of March 31, 2022, the government’s light-duty fleet contained approximately 18,000 vehicles but less than 3% accounted for zero-emission vehicles, or ZEVs for short.

Senator Gold, given market constraints for electric vehicles, including the fact that, in many cases, there are no suitable vehicles that meet the operational requirements of the government, is this commitment feasible?