Hon. Karina Gould, P.C., M.P., Minister of Families, Children and Social Development: Well, thank you, Senator Pate. I know this is a particular passion of yours, and I know how engaged you have been on this particular issue, so thank you for all of your work leading here in convening stakeholders.

As you mentioned, Canada essentially has a livable income for children as well as for seniors, and we have seen remarkable results. It was quite disappointing when the Ontario government under the current premier cancelled the basic income pilots that were taking place near my home community, in Hamilton. I’m from Burlington. I think that would have provided a great modern example for us to draw a lot of information and knowledge from. The pilots that occurred in Dauphin, Manitoba happened, I believe, in the 1970s, and so it would have been good to have a bit more updated information off of which we could draw and learn from.

That being said, I think the Government of Canada has made some important strides when it comes to improving income supports. Particularly I’m thinking about the Canada Workers Benefit, but other initiatives as well.

Of course, additional investments in things like housing, dental care, early learning and child care help to alleviate some of the high costs of living, but we know that there’s still more work that needs to be done, and I know that you are leading some of this important work, convening and research, and I look forward to carrying on that conversation and learning from the results of that work.

Hon. Karina Gould, P.C., M.P., Minister of Families, Children and Social Development: Gosh, I guess the best thing is to just keep electing Liberal governments. That’s probably the best way to go about it.

But certainly, I’m not sure how we do that other than the fact that this is a policy that has helped 9 out of 10 Canadian families. It would be quite cruel, I think, for a future Conservative government to hurt Canadian families in such a big way if they were to get rid of the Canada Child Benefit.

Certainly, we saw under the Harper government that they would rather send cheques to millionaires than send meaningful contributions to lower-income families. We reversed that. That was the right thing to do. Of course, I’m quite concerned about what we’re hearing out of some Conservative leadership candidates about getting rid of the early learning and child care agreements that we have.

Again, across the country we’re talking about thousands of dollars in savings for families, which is not just important for the affordability and ability to pay for things that families need, but it is also important for future economic growth, because if you can have two parents in the workforce, that makes a big difference in the lives and opportunities of families.

So I guess my best advice would be just to make sure we keep electing Liberals.

Hon. Karina Gould, P.C., M.P., Minister of Families, Children and Social Development: Certainly. Thank you, Senator Black, and maybe I will just use this opportunity to provide an invitation to any senator who would like to have a further discussion on the national school food policy, because I would be very open to hearing your thoughts and advice as we work to build this.

I couldn’t agree with you more in the sense that I think this is absolutely vital, and there is a real opportunity to make it holistic and comprehensive in the way that you are describing in that it’s first about providing healthy, nutritious meals to children from coast to coast to coast, which is imperative for their well-being, their learning outcomes and their future development.

However, there is also an opportunity to build an educational component of local food, agriculture and sustainability into that. There is a real opportunity to do something that will have a really meaningful impact in our country and also support local farmers as well and work with local producers in how we can get that local produce, that local food into the school system and have that engagement about where food comes from, why it is important and how to build a healthy meal.

I’m excited, and anyone who would like to contribute to that discussion, perhaps we can set up a time to have a more formal engagement.

Hon. Karina Gould, P.C., M.P., Minister of Families, Children and Social Development: It is a wonderful question, so thank you very much for asking it. In fact, this information is generally available on the Government of Canada’s website.

We have published almost all of the bilateral agreements that we’ve signed with the provinces and territories, as well as their accompanying action plans, and it will be in the action plan where you will be able to track how many spaces each province and territory has committed to creating each year.

We did two-year action plans so that we could assess, reevaluate and pivot as needed. For example, Alberta has committed to create 10,000 spaces this calendar year, so by the end of 2022.

We will be ensuring that we’re tracking the progress in each of these agreements.

I’m speaking about Alberta because I was just there and we were talking about it so it is fresh in my mind, but that would be the case for each province and territory. They will have specific goals and objectives and targets for each year. So for example, in Ontario, they’ve committed to creating an additional 86,000 spaces over the next five years, 23,000 of those within the first two years. So each province and territory has milestones and objectives, and those are and will be — if they are not already, because they are just going through the translation process — up on the website and publicly available.

[Translation]

Hon. René Cormier: Good afternoon, minister. Welcome to the Senate.

In 2020, the National Advisory Council on Poverty released its first report, in which it recommended that the Government of Canada do the following:

 . . . build on its COVID-19 response and strengthen existing strategies, programs and policies to ensure a coordinated robust social safety net in Canada by collectively providing income support that is at least at the level of Canada’s Official Poverty Line.

Minister, more than ever before, the pandemic made artists’ financial insecurity and poverty abundantly clear, but unfortunately artists were struggling long before the pandemic hit. According to 2016 data, the median income of an artist in Canada was about $24,300. I’m sure you agree that this is unacceptable, and something has to change.

How will the federal government act on the National Advisory Council on Poverty’s recommendations? Will it provide artists and cultural workers with a better social safety net in the short, medium and long terms?

Hon. Karina Gould, P.C., M.P., Minister of Families, Children and Social Development: Thank you for that excellent question.

Again, it’s not necessarily my department that handles such matters, but I know that my colleague, Minister Qualtrough, is holding consultations on employment insurance with a view to making it less complicated and easier for Canadians to access.

I know that she is also working with the provinces and territories on issues pertaining to persons living with disabilities. As you mentioned, this is a complex benefits system that affects all Canadians.

With respect to artists, in particular, I know that my colleague, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, is currently working with various cultural groups to see what opportunities exist to support Canadian artists in all art forms.

We are working to support Canadian artists, because culture is very important in Canada.

Hon. Karina Gould, P.C., M.P., Minister of Families, Children and Social Development: Thank you for the question, senator.

The issue of jurisdiction is one of the most important in our system of government in Canada and the provinces.

It is a topic we are currently discussing with the provinces and territories. We held consultations with them and have received their responses.

The important thing, and what motivates me on this issue, is not necessarily that the legislative authority gives instructions to the provinces and territories, but that it protects the federal investment.

During the last election, we heard Mr. O’Toole say that he would cancel the child care agreements with the provinces and territories. We want to make that more difficult for a potential future Conservative government to do.

The program is being well received by the provinces and territories. Implementing this system is a major investment; it is a big job at the national level. It is a project that offers a lot of possibilities, but we must do whatever we can to move forward and ensure that a potential future Conservative government can never cancel this agreement.

[English]

Hon. Judith G. Seidman: Minister, thank you for being with us today. Minister, an Ontario hospitals study published in January shows monthly emergency room visits by children under the age of 10 from cannabis poisoning have been nine times higher since your government’s legalization of cannabis. About a third of these children required hospitalization.

The lead author of the study stated: one, edibles appear to be a key factor; two, the current approach to preventing this increase has not met its goal; and, three, we need better protection for our children. As an example, Quebec prohibits the sale of edible cannabis products in the form of candies, desserts and chocolate.

Minister, as the minister responsible for children, what steps will you and your government take to further restrict the appearance, content and taste of edibles to better protect our children?

Hon. Karina Gould, P.C., M.P., Minister of Families, Children and Social Development: Thank you, senator. Unfortunately, I’m not actively involved in the design of this, but I am really excited about it because I think it’s really important and necessary.

In my home community of Burlington, for example, there are a couple of young women who got together and convinced the City of Burlington to provide free menstrual hygiene products in all city facilities. We’ve done this similarly at the federal level, so the federal government has to provide free menstrual hygiene products in all of their facilities. I’m excited about what this means in a broader context and how we can ensure that we are ending period poverty and making sure that women, girls and those who are menstruating have access to dignified menstrual hygiene products and can do so in a way that is discreet and appropriate.

I would be keen to learn more about the Scottish experience and learn any lessons. I am happy to share those ideas with Minister Ien, who I know is very motivated on this initiative as well.

Hon. Karina Gould, P.C., M.P., Minister of Families, Children and Social Development: Thank you, senator. What a wonderful idea. I feel as though you must have been talking with Minister Bennett, who talks about when she was a family physician and would often prescribe moments of family closeness to her patients, or perhaps going to the movies or something like that.

I am working closely with Minister Bennett and providing some input into the mental health strategy that we’re putting forward. My particular focus is children’s mental health. I recently met with the Canadian Mental Health Association and spoke specifically about the mental health of children and youth.

As you rightly point out, there are many different ways to support this: our more clinical interventions or our interventions that provide that pastime and the ability to do different things that may provoke imagination and creativity. Certainly, I will look more into that, knowing we need to support the diverse and broad array of mental health challenges that children, in particular, are experiencing right now.

Hon. Rose-May Poirier: Thank you, minister, for being with us today.

Last year, the federal budget included $648 million over seven years to upgrade Service Canada’s information technology system to modernize the delivery of benefits, such as Employment Insurance. At the time, your colleague Minister Qualtrough stated that the IT system needed to be upgraded before major changes to the IT system could take effect. As you know, she’s still consulting on those changes.

As the minister responsible for Service Canada, could you tell us the following: What is the current status of the work to upgrade Service Canada’s IT system to modernize EI delivery, how much of the $648 million over the seven years that was allocated in Budget 2021 for benefit delivery modernization has been expended to date and when is that work scheduled to be completed?

Hon. Karina Gould, P.C., M.P., Minister of Families, Children and Social Development: That is an excellent question; it is one that is incredibly important.

The sad joke at Service Canada is that the Old Age Security system is almost eligible for OAS itself. There have been decades of underinvestment by successive governments, and it is extraordinarily important that we make these important investments in modernizing the system.

I can tell you that work is already under way. It is important for us to build out the system before we can put EI on it. As you mentioned, Minister Qualtrough is very much engaged in that consultation process. We have one of the most complicated employment insurance programs in the world. There is a need to modernize and streamline it while we are, at the same time, modernizing our IT systems to meet the needs and demands of citizens in the 21st century.

So work is already under way in that process. I will have to get back to you with the specific number in terms of how much of that money has already been spent, but my office can follow up with you on that question. Thank you.

Hon. Michèle Audette: Colleagues, I am honoured, excited and, of course, a little bit nervous to rise today to give my maiden speech in reply to the Speech from the Throne.

First, I would like to acknowledge the Anishinaabe nation and, of course, thank the Anishinaabe people for welcoming me on their territory and enabling me to continue my journey. Kitchi meegwetch.

I would also like to thank everyone who directly or indirectly helped make my childhood dream of becoming a senator come true. It has been a long time coming. At the time, this dream was fuelled by my anger and rage and a desire to change discriminatory laws. Now that the dream has become a reality, I see it as an opportunity to speak for those whose voices go unheard and to help them be part of a vibrant Canada.

I cannot name everyone or every important person who helped me achieve this dream, but please know that you are dear to me. I sincerely thank you.

I also want to say a very special thank you to two people, my mother and father. Thank you for your patience. Thank you also for your courage and your unwavering support. You have helped me all along the way.

My mother, Evelyne, is a great Innu woman — small, but great — and my father is the most beautiful Quebecer, obviously. It is also said in certain stories of the first peoples, that I was a little star in the sky and that I chose my parents. I swear that I do not regret it; I am proud of my choice.

My arrival in the land of the Atiku, the caribou, was not without its challenges. I was born in Labrador, after stopping a train travelling from Sept-Îles to Schefferville. A helicopter came to pick up my mother in the middle of this vast land. She was taken to Labrador. She told me that she already knew that I would be a handful. At such an early age, on that very train, I experienced segregation. Yes, up until 1989, there was a car for white people and a car for the “savages.” That was the word used in those days, of course.

As the apple does not fall far from the tree, I joined Quebec Native Women as its president in 1998. I’ve continued the work of my mother, Evelyne, to defend the interests of First Nations women. My mother is also one of the co-founders of Quebec Native Women. She is supported by gentle warriors; they have come together to stand up for their rights, which were taken away from them by discriminatory laws, and to work on improving the living conditions of women and their families.

On the one hand, I’ve had to deal with segregation, and on the other hand I am criticized for being half Quebecer. Why should I have to choose? Why not bring together my Innu and Quebec sides and harness these rich woven identities I’ve been blessed with?

As Samian, an Anishinaabe artist I strongly encourage you to listen to, so eloquently said, “Growing up mixed in a world divided, I didn’t choose sides, and on fusion I decided.”

As a beader, I say that I chose to bead them together. Beading is a source of healing for me. Every bead represents a light and has its very own soul.

Today I will leave some beads for all of you. I sincerely hope you pick them up and that, together, we can reassemble or assemble them into a just, fair society that values every individual’s diversity, language, culture, values and histories.

You may recall that on November 22, a date forever etched in my heart and in my memory, I stood before you with my Innu moccasins to remind me of my relationship to the land, to keep me connected to Mother Earth and, most importantly, to remind me where I come from.

I also wore a ribbon skirt, which was a gift from my daughter-in-law, for a march in honour of our sister Joyce Echaquan. This was also another reminder of my duty to remember. On my sweater I wore a beautiful beaded medallion depicting the women of spirit, our missing and murdered sisters, with a nukum holding our Senate pin. Her heart showed an openness to change, to ensure that the voices of marginalized and vulnerable people could be heard and resonate from coast to coast to coast. My medallion reflects my priorities of self-determination, justice and education. It was imperative for me to arrive here with my symbols, which are as important to me as the symbols we see in this chamber. They are a way for me to redefine our relationship, a relationship based on knowledge, recognition, healing and reconciliation.

There is a growing awakening, and people are beginning to react as unmarked graves are being found, confirming the presence of tiny lights, tiny human beings. All this is starting to hit home for people, as you can imagine. We will be forced to bear witness to these truths many times, perhaps too many times.

I want to commend all of those people, 10,500 of them, who dared to share their truth and allowed their pearls, their stories, to be translated into calls for justice, calls for action and, of course, recommendations. I will list three inquiries that have been conducted since 1991: the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and, of course, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, known as MMIWG.

All of these extensive reports have yielded over 10,000 pages of content and over 1,000 recommendations, calls to action and calls for justice.

Clearly, for someone standing in my moccasins, recommendations are no longer an option. We now need legal imperatives, accountability. What mechanisms are in place for monitoring and implementing these things? What are the steps to be taken and what progress has been made?

We have a responsibility to honour the truth of members, families and survivors and to ensure that human rights, health rights, cultural rights, education rights, and the rights to security and justice are respected. I am making it my duty to remind parliamentarians of the importance of implementing and following through on the calls for justice. They are all important, but in my opinion, it is important to focus first on an accountability and transparency mechanism, pursuant to call for justice 1.7 of the NIMMIWG, which called for the establishment of a National Indigenous and Human Rights Ombudsperson.

Reconciliation is practically on the lips of each and every one of us.

In the chamber, on one side we hear about the importance of the First Peoples, the founding languages and reconciliation. On the other side, I sometimes hear people say that everything began with the discoveries and the explorers, their colonial languages, what we call official languages, and with the passage of certain laws that perpetuated harm . . . . So, when the federal government takes major steps in its relationship with the governments of the First Peoples, in some regions we have to deal with disputes, as we do back home in Quebec.

This is the start of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. These languages are part of our strengths, they are the cultural fabric and identity of this vast country. To my mind, Indigenous languages are also official languages. Like thousands of people and like the Inuit people of Inuit Nunangat, I am proud that an Inuk woman, Her Excellency Mary May Simon, was appointed Governor General of Canada.

I will quote the Pauktuuit organization, as follows:

[English]

Having an Inuk Governor General is especially inspiring for our youth. It is also a meaningful step on the journey of reconciliation with Inuit. It also removes stereotypes held towards Indigenous women by mainstream society.

[Translation]

There is no doubt that First Peoples are resilient; we have survived and we are welcoming people.

We invited the people who are my half and your ancestors to come out of their boats. Kapak! Kapak! Quebec! Come out of your boats.

All of this should be taught in every school. Education must play a key role in closing the gap of ignorance and eliminating unconscious bias, racism and discrimination. It is important that we advocate for Joyce’s principle, for Joyce was our great sister, gentle warrior and an Atikamekw mother. I have worked alongside Carol, her spouse, and Diane and Michel, her mother and father, on this principle.

It is shocking to me that in 2020, when medical students, future doctors, were presented with a case study involving an Indigenous man in the ER who was staggering slightly and had some vomit on his shirt, 100% of them consistently diagnosed him as being under the influence of alcohol or drugs. I am sure that these students were not born racist, but their education and the little they know about the First Nations contribute to these unconscious biases. Institutions are making progress on “Inuitizing” — a word you will hear me use a lot — and decolonizing their materials and working towards reconciliation. Nevertheless, I have a dream for the self-determination of the First Peoples, a dream that we will one day have our own university, by and for the First Peoples, in Quebec of course, but why not elsewhere? I dream of a university where our identity, our culture, our languages, our knowledge, our ceremonies, our traditions and our governance structures are honoured and celebrated.

Esteemed colleagues, with respect to reciprocity, I encourage all of us here to systematically reflect on the potential impact that any bills we are drafting or studying may have on the First Peoples. Were they involved in the process? Let’s be proactive and invite them to work with us, together. As I have already said, I am making it my duty to ask you these questions, because this is one of my responsibilities.

Before I wrap up, I will share a little secret — or a big one, actually. Many people know this. When I came here, it was important to me to choose the East Block for these reasons: I wanted to encounter John A. Macdonald, or at least his spirit. I was determined to go looking for him. I can assure you that, when I found him, I was trembling and crying. I looked at his picture and stood there, my hands on the photo. Then I told him that all his attempts at assimilation and destruction had failed. I am here. I am alive. We are here. We are alive.

Despite everything that happened, I agreed to invest my time and energy here, in an institution that passed laws to assimilate and destroy. At the same time, when I listen to you, when I look at you, when I hear you, when I observe you, I can see that your individual and collective intelligence is astounding, and I am sure that, in this great chamber, we will work for the good of our societies as we pursue justice, equity, equality and social justice. I even told Mr. Macdonald that I was ready to forgive him if we could write a new chapter to change everything that happened. Only time will tell.

I also want to chase away the alienation that my mother feels. My mother Evelyne, this beautiful Innu woman, has always felt like a stranger here in her own country. She is reaching out to you, telling you that she is your neighbour and only wants to get to know you. She is my hero.

Tshinashkumitnau, colleagues.

(Response to question raised by the Honourable Pamela Wallin on December 9, 2021)

The government is committed to examining advance requests for MAID as part of the parliamentary review process required by former Bill C-7, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying). The government takes note of the Quebec Select Committee’s report and will continue to work closely with the provinces and territories as they consider potential changes to their MAID laws and policies.

The government supports the ongoing work of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying and will continue to work with parliamentarians in the Senate and the House of Commons to continue the committee’s study of these important issues.

(Response to question raised by the Honourable Leo Housakos on December 9, 2021)

The 26^th Conference of the Parties in Glasgow, Scotland, was historic in galvanizing global resolve and ambition, coming on the heels of international reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the United Nations Environment Programme, which outlined the current state of the climate crisis.

The total costs (as of November 25, 2021) for the Canadian delegation is $1,067,886.85, which included travel costs for ministers, members of Parliament and federal government officials in addition to Indigenous, youth, and non-governmental organization representatives, along with accommodations, meals, room rentals, hospitality, and other associated costs.

Given limitations associated with the extent of replies to Senate Delayed Answers, please refer to the response to Parliamentary Written Question Q-103 that was tabled on January 31, 2022, and available through the Library of Parliament (library@parl.gc.ca), for a complete list of the Canadian delegation.

(Response to question raised by the Honourable Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu on March 2, 2022)

Our government is committed to ensuring that Canada’s criminal justice system shows compassion to victims, holds offenders to account and upholds the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Budget 2021 proposes to provide $85.3 million over five years to support a national program for independent legal advice and independent legal representation for victims of sexual assault, as well as to support pilot projects for victims of intimate partner violence. Through the Victims Fund, we have made more than $28 million available to provincial and territorial governments and non-governmental organizations to increase awareness and knowledge of victim issues, legislation, and services available. The work to fill the victims ombudsman position is ongoing. It is important to note that the ombudsman’s office still handles victims’ complaints and assists them in finding the right services. We will keep working collaboratively with the ombudsman’s office and across government to empower victims and survivors and ensure that their voices are heard.