The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of a delegation of senators from the Parliament of the Czech Republic. They are led by Senator Jiří Drahoš and accompanied by His Excellency, Ambassador Bořek Lizec.

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), pursuant to notice of May 31, 2022, moved:

That the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance be authorized to examine and report upon the expenditures set out in the Supplementary Estimates (A) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023;

That, for the purpose of this study, the committee have the power to meet, even though the Senate may then be sitting or adjourned, and that rules 12-18(1) and 12-18(2) be suspended in relation thereto; and

That the committee be permitted, notwithstanding usual practices, to deposit its report with the Clerk of the Senate, if the Senate is not then sitting, and that the report be deemed to have been tabled in the Senate.

Hon. Claude Carignan: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate, because the government is accountable to this chamber. My question has to do with transparency.

This morning, CBC reported that this government has adopted 72 secret orders-in-council since 2015. That is a record number, significantly surpassing the number adopted by all prime ministers of Canada. How does the government explain these 72 secret orders-in-council?

Hon. Peter Harder: Honourable senators, “Governments make mistakes.” Those were the words I spoke in this chamber on May 1, 2019, to commemorate the then one-hundredth anniversary of one such mistake, when the following order-in-council was passed by the Government of Canada. It read, in part:

Whereas the minister of immigration and colonization reports that owing to conditions prevailing as the result of the war, a widespread feeling exists throughout the Dominion, and more particularly in western Canada, that steps should be taken to prevent the entry to Canada of all persons who may be regarded as undesirable because owing to their peculiar customs, habits, modes of living and methods of holding property, they are not likely to become readily assimilated or assume the duties and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship within a reasonable time; and

Whereas the minister further reports that numerous representations have been received . . . indicating that persons commonly known as Doukhobors, Hutterites and Mennonites are of the class and character described and that consequently it is desirable to prohibit the entry to Canada of such.

That order prevented my Harder and Tiessen grandparents, my parents and their siblings and thousands of other Mennonites who had applied to come to Canada from leaving the Soviet Union. They were, therefore, stuck.

I don’t raise this simply to acknowledge the pain and suffering of those a century ago, but as a lesson in intolerance for today and as a testament against falsehoods and prejudice in our times.

Jonathan Swift writes, “Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it . . . .”

And so it did. While governments make mistakes, governments can also fix mistakes. After 3 years, exactly 100 years ago tomorrow, on June 2, 1922, the then newly elected Government of Canada rescinded that order, saying in an order-in-council:

His Excellency, the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the acting Minister of Immigration and Colonization, is pleased to order that the Order-in-Council of June 9, 1919, prohibited the landing in Canada of any immigrant of Doukhobor, Hutterite and Mennonite classes shall be and the same is hereby rescinded as respects Hutterites and Mennonites.

That was signed by Mackenzie King and approved by Byng of Vimy.

As a result, thousands of people left the Soviet Union for Canada in what became known as the Mennonite exodus, their immigration facilitated by travel loans from Canadian Pacific Rail guaranteed by their co-religionists in Canada.

The banner headline of the Kitchener-Waterloo Daily Record of that day boldly declared, “Mennonites Now Free To Come Into Canada,” the article saying:

The order-in-council promulgated by the Union Government during the war restricting all Mennonite immigration into Canada has just been annulled by the Liberal government as a result of the efforts of W. D. Euler M. P., according to information received by Record’s press gallery representative at Ottawa. The Mennonites are now as free to enter Canada as the adherents of any other faith. This announcement will be received with considerable pleasure by the thousands of Mennonites in Kitchener . . . .

And so it was.

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I speak today so that we may redouble our efforts to make Canada an ongoing beacon of protection for refugees, a welcoming centre for immigrants celebrating pluralism and a bulwark against falsehoods and other claims of racial, gender or religious intolerance in our time.

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. 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?

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

[English]

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]