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.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

Hon. Robert Black: Honourable senators, I rise today to highlight the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization, also known as the FAO. The FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.

As we know, the pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine, in addition to climate change and supply chain instabilities, have placed unprecedented stress on global food systems. Earlier this week, the FAO and the World Food Programme released their Hunger Hotspots report, which highlighted that:

. . . an all-time high of up to 49 million people in 46 countries across the globe could be at risk of falling into famine or famine-like conditions, unless they receive immediate life and livelihoods-saving assistance.

This is a shocking statistic that deserves immediate attention. I am hopeful that this is an issue that is prioritized both domestically and internationally, by this chamber, by our colleagues in the other place and by governments around the world.

At this time, I’d like to thank the FAO, as well as Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol, who, as you know, is with us today in the Red Chamber, and her colleagues travelling with her for their continued efforts to achieve food security around the world.

As I’ve previously mentioned in this chamber and at the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, food security is also an issue right here at home. A poll recently conducted by Food Banks Canada found that one in five Canadians reported going hungry at least once between March 2020 and March 2022, and almost a quarter of Canadians reported eating less than they should due to rising prices.

And, as we have all seen during our trips to the grocery store or to the gas station, the war in Ukraine, in combination with other factors I previously mentioned, has further exacerbated what were already steadily rising food and energy prices. While we are facing increased costs at the store and the gas station, we can, unfortunately, expect to see the situation grow even more dire in places that are dependent on agri-food products coming out of Ukraine and Russia.

Honourable colleagues, I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight the connection that our grain industry shares with that of Ukraine. In fact, you could say that:

The entire development of Canada’s wheat industry, the most renowned in the world, is due mainly to this single Ukrainian grain of wheat.

This is from the late research biologist Stephan Symko’s posthumous monograph, From a single seed, which found that Red Fife — Canada’s oldest wheat — and its many hybrids, descended from a single grain of Halychanka wheat grown in western Ukraine that found its way into a shipment of winter wheat in 1842.

With this intrinsic relationship in mind, I am hopeful that Canada will continue to help Ukraine not only work out options on how to export their already-stored grain, but also to help address the global food security concerns through our own domestic grain production. Thank you, meegwetch.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Marwa Haroon. She is the guest of the Honourable Senator Smith.

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

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question and for reminding us of the situation that continues to be a challenge and a priority for this government.

I don’t know whether representations were made to the president. I do know that the Government of Canada and consular officials are providing consular assistance to those detained and are in regular contact with the families. I know, as well, that the government, through the parliamentary secretary and the minister, is directly engaged in this file.

Senator Gold: I’ll certainly make inquiries, senator, and I hope to get an answer back as quickly as I can. Thank you.

[Translation]

Hon. Mobina S. B. Jaffer: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, which deals with the subject matter of those elements contained in Divisions 1, 21 and 22 of Part 5 of Bill C-19, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 7, 2022 and other measures.

[English]

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

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

[English]

The Hon. the Speaker: Is leave granted, honourable senators?

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

Senator Gold: The Government of Canada has taken neither teachers nor agricultural workers hostage. The delays in Parliament, the partisan politics that have characterized the daily practice in the other place, are far more disrespectful — and I will not use stronger words — to Canadians and their interests and right to be served by parliamentarians who should care more about their interests than about scoring political points on Twitter.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: I see two senators rising, calling for a standing vote.

Do we have agreement on a bell?

Senator Seidman: Yes, we do, Your Honour. One hour.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): The reforms that this government has made to the Criminal Code since taking office were designed to modernize it and to remove parts that conflict with our fundamental values, including equity among different groups. We have other bills before us that will collectively make the system better for everyone, including women who are victims of crime.