Some Hon. Senators: Agreed.

Senator Batters: Senator Gold, one of the issues that I didn’t have time to deal with in my speech but I wanted to address — so I will ask for your comment on that — is when I spoke to judges about this, they said, “I guess the government must be trying to get at a better access to justice with this particular provision.” They didn’t really understand why else the government would be bringing this forward. But they said that if the government really wants to deal with access to justice in a significant way, the resources are not there, and it is hollow if they don’t provide the resources. Their impression was that it is much better to fix access-to-justice issues if the government fills judicial vacancies that exist right now to prevent court delays and also properly funds legal aid. What is your response to that?

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the Honourable Park Byeong Seug, Speaker of the First half of the 21st National Assembly of the Republic of Korea and a parliamentary delegation, and His Excellency Chang Keung Ryong, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Canada.

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

Hon. Robert Black: Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, as are you well aware, agriculture is one of Canada’s most important industries. However, they are often left out of the conversation when it comes to government.

The next agricultural policy framework is a five-year investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen and grow Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector. It will replace the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, which ends March 31, 2023.

Honourable colleagues, while Canadian agriculture is a leader on the world stage, we are underperforming. To get to where we need to be with regard to production, exports, sustainable operations and innovation, and to ensure a strong, accessible and affordable food chain at home, the sector will require additional support — both financially and through policy — by all levels of government.

The current Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a $3-billion investment, with $2 billion in shared costs between the federal, provincial and territorial governments and $1 billion in federal funding for activities and programs.

My question today, Senator Gold, is this: Will the government commit to providing a realistic five-year investment to support agriculture in realizing its full potential? I underline “realistic.” Thank you.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. I am grateful for the respect the government has for the work of the Senate. I am very proud of the work that we have accomplished reviewing government bills in the Senate.

That being said, I believe that we need to strike the right balance. As many have already mentioned, it is also important to have more of the testimony and analysis done at the other place.

This is pure speculation on my part, honourable colleagues, because I have no idea what is going to happen to us when we return from the break. However, I am sure that when the Senate receives bills, either after they have been studied at the other place or at the beginning of the parliamentary process, we will continue to do the work we are known for, and rightly so, in the Senate.

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question. I don’t really have an answer for you, but I do have a comment. The situation is unacceptable. What you described is Kafkaesque.

That said, the government is doing its best to fix the problem. There are obviously still issues, and the only thing I can tell you is that I am going to talk to my counterparts in government again and ask them for information, which I will share with you here. I would also stress the importance of fixing this problem as soon as possible.

Senator Miville-Dechêne: The man went to the passport office because he wanted to submit his application for processing. He was planning to leave in six weeks, so there was no rush. He just wanted to submit it. However, he was told not to submit it but to line up right away to get his passport. He was told to go ahead of other people. That means the lineups in Montreal include people who are not in urgent need of a passport. Is the government making the crisis worse by telling people to do this?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Well, that is quite an accusation. I have no knowledge of this story or any of the facts. I am not in a position to comment at all.

Senator Gold: If I understood the question correctly, I do indeed find that interesting. We are, for example, debating Bill S-5 on the environment. It is a very important bill. We have done very good work in committee. We will see how the House of Commons receives the work we have done, and we will continue the debate this week.

As I said in response to your question, it is normal for us to receive bills after they have been studied and debated at the other place. In other words, there is room for both ways of legislating.

[English]

The Hon. the Speaker: Are senators ready for the question?

Senator Cotter: I would invite you to agree with me that the provisions of the bill included in proposed section 715.23 make it crystal clear that the question of whether a video trial would proceed is in the hands of the judge. Furthermore, the judge is required to take into account a series of criteria, including the accused or the offender’s right to a fair public hearing, before he or she would make a decision to conduct a video trial. Second, with respect to trials, the provision includes the authority and the ability of an accused to decline to participate in a video trial.

Would you agree with me that those provisions are presently in the bill, despite your concerns?

Senator Batters: Yes, a number of those concerns are already taken care of. However, Senator Carignan tried to bring in an amendment to make more precise changes. As I discussed in my speech, there are a number of different reasons that the judge may not realize immediately. Just from human nature, they may not realize the difficulties they are having, but we have seen that from the research that has been provided in other countries.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Are senators ready for the question?

Hon. Percy Mockler, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance, presented the following report:

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

The Standing Senate Committee on National Finance has the honour to present its

SIXTH REPORT

Your committee, to which was referred Bill C-19, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 7, 2022 and other measures, has, in obedience to the order of reference of June 14, 2022, examined the said bill and now reports the same without amendment.

Respectfully submitted,

PERCY MOCKLER

Chair

(For text of observations, see today’s Journals of the Senate, p. 771.)

He said: Honourable senators, I would like to thank the members of the steering committee of the Committee on National Finance, namely Senators Forest, Gignac and Richards.

[English]

I also want to thank the members of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance for their cooperation, teamwork and dedication to ensuring the committee met that tight deadline. I would also like to thank the other six committees that conducted the pre-study of this bill.

Your Honour, our committee is supported by amazing staff, such as clerks, analysts, interpreters, communications staff and our office staff, who have worked hard to support the committee and its responsibilities.

[Translation]

Thanks to this group of people, the committee is able to focus on four core principles: transparency, accountability, reliability and predictability of the Canadian budget for all Canadians.

Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association concerning the Joint Meeting of the Defence and Security, Economics and Security, and Political Committees, held in Brussels, Belgium, from February 17 to 19, 2020.

Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association concerning the Sixty-sixth Annual Session, held by video conference from November 18 to 23, 2020.

Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association concerning the Spring Session, held by video conference from May 14 to 17, 2021.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, my question is for the government leader in the Senate. Senator Gold, on Monday morning, police were once again called to the Service Canada office in Montreal, in the suburb of Laval. Hundreds of Canadians who had lined up to receive a passport were told to leave. Many of them had been there since Saturday, leader.

Yesterday, leader, you told us the government’s focus is on ensuring anyone who has travel planned within 25 business days is given priority for service. Last Friday, Minister Gould’s parliamentary secretary said Service Canada agents were going through the lines to accommodate those with immediate travel within two business days, leader. Yesterday morning in Laval, people were told they would be helped if they had travel booked within 24 hours, despite a sign on the office door saying they could be helped if their departure was planned in the next 24 to 48 hours.

There are three or four different times there, leader. Which information is correct?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): The short answer is, Senator Plett — and thank you for your question — there clearly is inconsistent information being provided both, as you described, at the site in Laval and, perhaps, elsewhere. The information I have was the answer that I gave you the other day, and that’s the only information I have.

It is a deplorable situation. I will try to find out, to the best of my ability, what’s happening in that particular centre. It is a busy one, but it is not the only one that is plagued with problems. I’ll do my best to sort it out if I can.