Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, my question is for the government leader in the Senate. General Wayne Eyre, the Chief of the Defence Staff, recently said the cost of living and challenges in finding affordable accommodations are the top issues he is hearing from Canadian Forces members around the country. The lack of available housing in British Columbia has gotten so bad that last month Royal Canadian Air Force members at CFB Comox on Vancouver Island were told to consider contacting Habitat for Humanity if they were having significant difficulty finding adequate housing.

Leader, Habitat for Humanity has helped thousands of Canadian families in need, but it’s the Government of Canada’s responsibility to support our military families. Why were they referred to a charity to find housing?

Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: My question is for Senator Gold. On Sunday, June 12, Canada will mark World Day Against Child Labour. You would expect Canada to be a leader in this area, but in the last few months, several media reports, coming out of Quebec in particular, have revealed alarming statistics on minors as young as 11 working.

An article published today in Le Monde explains that there is no minimum working age in Quebec. I know, of course, that these rules are under provincial jurisdiction, but could you tell me if the Government of Canada has had any discussions with the provinces, including Quebec, about this alarming situation?

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

Senator Gold, later this afternoon the Senate will start third reading debate of Bill C-8. This bill, amongst other measures, expands the school supplies tax credit and introduces a new refundable tax credit for farming businesses. The changes to these tax credits are retroactive to 2021.

Senator Gold, since the bill was introduced last December, all Canadians had to file their 2021 income tax returns. Teachers and farmers filed for the tax credits I just mentioned. They have since been told by the Canada Revenue Agency that they will not get their tax refund until Bill C-8 has been passed — not just the portion of their refund that comes from Bill C-8, but all the money that CRA owes them is being withheld. And when people complain, this is the answer they get: They are told to contact parliamentarians and pressure them to adopt Bill C-8.

Senator Gold, as Leader of the Government in the Senate, why did you allow your colleagues in government to use such a blatant blackmail tactic to put pressure on parliamentarians to adopt a government bill? Isn’t this reflective of the Trudeau government’s willingness to bully parliamentarians?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate) introduced Bill S-10, An Act to give effect to the Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement, to amend the Sechelt Indian Band Self-Government Act and the Yukon First Nations Self-Government Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts.

(Bill read first time.)

Senator Gold: That’s a fair question, senator. I don’t know the answer, but I’ll certainly make inquiries.

[Translation]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, when shall this report be taken into consideration?

(On motion of Senator Klyne, report placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.)

Hon. Robert Black, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, presented the following report:

Thursday, June 9, 2022

The Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry has the honour to present its

FOURTH REPORT

Your committee, which was authorized by the Senate on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, to examine and report on the status of soil health in Canada, respectfully requests funds for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, and requests, for the purpose of such study, that it be empowered to:

(a) travel outside Canada.

Pursuant to Chapter 3:06, section 2(1)(c) of the Senate Administrative Rules, the budget submitted to the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration and the report thereon of that committee are appended to this report.

Respectfully submitted,

ROBERT BLACK

Chair

(For text of budget, see today’s Journals of the Senate, Appendix B, p. 678.)

The Hon. the Speaker: Excuse me, Senator Housakos. I will let you finish, but I saw a couple of senators rising. I will remind senators that no points of order can be raised during Question Period.

The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Patterson, did you wish to speak?

Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: I rise on a point of order. I noticed that, in his answer to my question, Senator Housakos mentioned confidential information from an in camera meeting of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications. I believe that’s a breach of confidentiality, which is a serious breach in this place. I paid close attention to his answers, and in my own question, I was very careful to say nothing about what happened during that meeting because it was in camera.

[English]

Senator Housakos: I want to remind my colleagues on the Transport Committee — and on all committees — that when senators do their work at committee, they have the right to put forward motions. They have the right to amend motions. They have the right, in a fulsome way, to debate those motions.

I can assure my Deputy Chair of the Transport and Communications Committee that I will continue to respect those principles as chair. As I said, very often in a democracy, a parliamentary setting or a committee, the majority — you have come to the assumption that 8 out of 12 wanted to pass the bill yesterday, and, well, we want to do the work and respect the motion before this committee, and do it in a wholesome way. I will allow even the minority voices to ask the questions they want to ask and to request the documents they want to request, and I assure you that we will respect the motion of the chamber. We will respect the date line of the chamber. But we will also allow for democracy — at least at the Transport and Communications Committee — to function.

[Translation]

Hon. Frances Lankin: I want to contribute to this as a person who sat here and listened. I heard no reference to what went on in a meeting, in camera or otherwise. What I did hear was a question about when the committee would deal with it, and how the committee would respond to a motion that was duly passed by the majority in this chamber.

I’m not commenting on what the answer was. That will have to be examined on the record, but I certainly listened very carefully to the question and I heard no such breach of an in camera session.

[Translation]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I will take the point of order matter under advisement.

[Translation]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. As you said, this falls under provincial jurisdiction. That said, the government is in constant discussion with the provinces and territories on many issues and would like to reiterate that it supports workers.

Senator Martin: With respect to the shortage of military housing available to Canadian Forces members, General Eyre recently stated:

. . . we’re somewhere in the neighbourhood of 4,000 to 6,000 units short on our bases, which is also accentuating the housing problem.

Leader, your government says it will spend $55 million on residential housing for Canadian Armed Forces members this fiscal year. Committing funding is one thing, but getting shovels into the ground is another. How many new homes for military families will this funding support, and when are they expected to be built?

Senator Miville-Dechêne: I didn’t quite understand the last part of your answer, but I will expand on my question. There is every indication that the marked increase in child labour is the result of the labour shortage affecting various economic sectors in Quebec and elsewhere. As the article in Le Monde pointed out, we don’t want to “. . . see young Quebecers sacrificed on the altar of economic necessity.” I’m sure you agree with that sentiment, Senator Gold.

Can you tell me what the Government of Canada is considering doing to solve the problem of the dire labour shortage and prevent 14- and 15-year-olds from having to fill this void?

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

Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, with leave of the Senate and notwithstanding rule 5-5(g), I move:

That, when the Senate next adjourns after the adoption of this motion, it do stand adjourned until Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 2 p.m.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director General, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. She is the guest of the Honourable Senator Black.

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

Senator Boisvenu: I’m unfortunately going to have to ask my question again. Senator Gold, I asked a simple question: Can you name one measure the government has taken since 2015 to protect women in Canada from being murdered? Just name one thing.