Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

Senator Gold: Well, thank you for confirming my assumption that some would like to make this a debate about the Senate or the government.

My position and the position of this government, the position of this Senate, which approved each and every one of the pre‑studies — it wasn’t the Prime Minister approving pre-studies in the Senate to which you referred, it was the Senate agreeing to doing pre-studies because the Senate collectively believed it was the appropriate thing to do.

It is my position as Government Representative that pre‑studies are a useful tool for the Senate to discharge its constitutional obligation. That’s why I’ve put this proposal forward. It is to give us the ability to do our jobs, to do our jobs freer from the constraints of time and in response to the legitimate demands and concerns expressed by so many of you in this chamber that we not be rushed to do our work.

I will not apologize for promoting the idea that this pre-study on this bill is a good thing. On the contrary, it is a very good thing. It is a good thing because it allows us to do our job for which we were summoned to do.

Senator Tannas: I have a couple of quick snappers. Would we call the same witnesses at the same time that the hearing is going on? Would we ask that the committee find different witnesses so we could get a different perspective? We can all watch television or go over to the House of Commons and watch the committee meetings if we want to get ourselves familiarized. Maybe that’s a practice we could do if we want to get things done.

The other question is since when it is the Senate of Canada’s problem that there is a minority government in the House of Commons.

An Hon. Senator: Hear, hear.

The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Gold, there are a number of senators, both present and virtual, who wish to ask questions. Are you prepared to take questions?

The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Plett, the process that we’ve been following so far is that senators will ask one question and one supplementary. Time permitting, we will go to a second round. I have you on the list for a second round.

The Hon. the Speaker: Just before you answer, Senator Gold, I will remind honourable senators that we are debating Motion No. 42, which is about whether there will be a pre-study. We are not debating the content of Bill C-11. We do have a fair amount of leeway when it comes to asking questions, however, so I’ll leave it to you, Senator Gold.

Hon. Claude Carignan: My question is for the government leader. I think you are misunderstanding the Senate’s historic powers. The power of the Senate goes beyond simply passing government bills. The Senate must also hold the government to account, conduct studies and produce reports. Right now, because of the pandemic, the committees are sitting half as often as they did in the past. Committee time slots have been slashed by 50%. Bills are now being introduced in the Senate before they are passed by the House of Commons, and this undermines the work of committees, which are supposed to investigate and hold the government accountable. Do you really believe that the only role of the Senate is to pass government bills?

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, there are still a number of senators who wish to ask questions. The procedure here is that when the Speaker stands, senators will please take their seats. I would ask you to keep your questions short and to the point, which is debate on Motion No. 42.