Some Hon. Senators: Nay.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Those opposed to the motion and who are in the Senate Chamber will please say “nay.”

Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Honourable senators, my question is for Senator Gold, and it is about Ukraine. As you know, there are two paths for entry into Canada for visitors. In one stream, citizens of countries like the U.K., Italy, Portugal, Spain and countries like Poland, Latvia, Mexico and Croatia fill out an online form and get a response within a day authorizing their entrance into Canada. It runs smooth as silk.

The second stream, which includes countries like Russia, but also Ukraine, must fill out a fairly onerous application, file it with the embassy, stand in line to get the authorization, stand in line to get the stamp, and, of course, this could be fine in ordinary times.

These are not ordinary times for Ukraine. More than 165,000 Ukrainians have applied for entry into Canada, but only 54,000 have been authorized under the new emergency travel program. Therefore, we’re looking at yet another backlog in an already backlogged system.

Today, at the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, we heard from Minister Joly who declared that Canada is Ukraine’s best friend.

Will Canada act as a best friend and extend express travel authorization for Ukrainians as well?

Senator Boniface: I can’t fully answer the question, Senator McCallum, but I would be happy to send you a response that will hopefully help answer your question. I do know that the racial profiling issue will be an important question to be answered at committee.

(On motion of Senator Wells, debate adjourned.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Woo, seconded by the Honourable Senator Dean, for the second reading of Bill S-6, An Act respecting regulatory modernization.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. I’m not aware of a request that has been made nor of the government’s response. Permit me to say that the government continues and will continue to support ferry services for provinces and territories, including in Eastern Canada, and I’m advised that the government has made significant investments for ferry services in Eastern Canada, including purchasing multiple new ferry boats and taking action to make sure that fare prices stay affordable amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Intra-provincial ferry services, particularly to smaller and remote communities are, as you underline in your question, a key challenge facing provinces and their communities.

The government understands that discussions between the provincial government and the community are ongoing, and the government encourages the parties to work together to find a long-term solution for local populations.

Hon. David M. Wells: Honourable senators, my question is for the government leader in the Senate. Senator Gold, on April 5, 2022, just over three weeks ago, while conducting a commercial air charter, crew members of Pivot Airlines, a Canadian company, discovered suspected contraband in a maintenance compartment of the aircraft during the course of their normal duties at the Punta Cana International Airport in the Dominican Republic. In keeping with Transport Canada policies and international laws, the crew immediately reported the discovery to local and Canadian authorities.

Despite reporting the suspected contraband to authorities, the five crew members were immediately detained. Pivot Airlines and the three unions representing the crew were able to secure their release on bail. However, they must remain in the Dominican Republic until the matter is resolved. It’s essentially a house arrest due to the nature of what they found and, frankly, the nature of the smugglers.

The airline, the unions and the crew’s families all remain deeply concerned for their safety and security while they remain in the Dominican Republic under continued threats of harm and the ongoing possibility of prosecution.

Furthermore, this situation also raises serious concerns for all Canadian travellers and, in particular, Canadians who travel to this region as part of their employment.

Can the leader please tell the chamber and, frankly, the families, what the Minister of Foreign Affairs has done and will do by way of intervention in this urgent matter, including asking the Dominican government to immediately release the crew and allow them to safely return to Canada for the duration of the investigation?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Senator, thank you for your question and for raising this very troubling situation for the families and for those currently still in the Dominican Republic.

Of course, the Canadian government is aware of this situation, is concerned and is in fact acting. I’ve been advised that consular officials are providing assistance. They’re in contact with the families of the Canadian citizens. I’m also advised that the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs is directly engaged on this file.

Colleagues, because of the importance and considerations of privacy, I’m not able to provide any further information on the details of those initiatives, but they are ongoing.

Senator Housakos: The first step in correcting mistakes is to recognize you’ve made mistakes. I see from your answer that there isn’t a willingness to recognize that you miscalculated as a government.

Government leader, this year the average Canadian family of four will spend $966 more on groceries than they did a year ago. In March of this year, grocery bills were 8.7% higher than just one year before. Eggs are up 8.5%, more than last month; milk is up 7.7%; pasta is up a whopping 17.8%. These aren’t fancy delicacies; they are basic food items. This comes at a time when families are already paying more for housing, for gas, for transporting their kids from home to school and back and forth. The Governor of the Bank of Canada is now saying inflation could go even higher. The word “transitory” certainly isn’t being used anymore, which was a favourite of the Minister of Finance in your government.

Senator Gold, how can you possibly defend your government’s high tax expense policies when they continue to fuel inflation, and families are already being stretched to their complete limits?

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question. As the Government Representative in the Senate, I am advised and want to categorically state that making life more affordable for Canadians is one of the government’s primary goals, as set out in Budget 2022 that was tabled here recently.

In the long run, the government believes that the measures in the budget, along with other measures it has already taken, will contribute to addressing long-standing structural challenges and to providing meaningful improvements in living standards for more Canadians in the near term. In the near term, Canadians can remain confident that they will receive support from the government when they need it most. For example, in Budget 2022 we find a range of measures that help to bring down the cost of living, including $475 million in the year 2022-23 to provide a one-time payment of $500 to those facing housing affordability challenges. There are other measures that represent a suite of attempts to address this serious and real issue Canadians are facing.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: The vote will occur at the next sitting.

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Gagné, seconded by the Honourable Senator LaBoucane-Benson:

That, notwithstanding any provision of the Rules, previous order or usual practice, and without affecting progress in relation to Bill S-6, An Act respecting regulatory modernization:

1.the following committees be separately authorized to examine the subject matter of the following elements contained in Bill S-6:

(a)the Standing Senate Committee on Banking Trade and Commerce: those elements contained in Part 1;

(b)the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources: those elements contained in Parts 2 and 3;

(c)the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry: those elements contained in Parts 4, 5 and 6;

(d)the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans: those elements contained in Part 7;

(e)the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology: those elements contained in Part 8;

(f)the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade: those elements contained in Part 9; and

(g)the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications: those elements contained in Part 10;

2.each of the committees that are authorized to examine the subject matter of particular elements of Bill S-6 submit its final report to the Senate no later than May 30, 2022, and be authorized to deposit its report with the Clerk of the Senate if the Senate is not then sitting; and

3.the committee to which Bill S-6 may be referred, if it is adopted at second reading, be authorized to take into consideration these reports during its study of the bill.

Hon. Patricia Bovey: Honourable senators, today it is with pleasure that I thank all who have enabled this Senate to take steps in and outside this chamber to explore and hear voices of Canadian artists in all fields. This morning, in the foyer of the chamber, we installed works by two major Canadian artists, Endangered Shadows by Roberta Bondar and Alberta Oil Sands #6 by Edward Burtynsky. These internationally acclaimed Canadian artists deal with environmental and climate change issues in their art, mirroring and enhancing our Senate debates regarding the health of our planet.

I thank them both for these loans, and I have spoken of these works before. Both these artists work with industry as they shed light on environmental consequences — Bondar with NASA and Burtynsky with Alberta’s oil industry. The latter supported him, this series and its presentation in various sites. Each has had a very positive continuing global impact.

We also moved Yukon and B.C. artist Ted Harrison’s work, Camerons of the Yukon, from the fourth floor to the foyer outside this chamber.

Thanks, too, to artists who have been featured in the installations honouring Canada’s Black artists. This project spurred the invitation for Canada to participate in the Pan African Heritage World Museum opening next year. Noted by The Canadian Press, it drew the attention of the international publication The Art Newspaper, and they requested the March op-ed on this project. I thank them, and it was a privilege to write.

I am just back from the U.K. where I was pleased that people had seen and noted that article, and pleased that some of the Cape Dorset artists in our first Museums at the Senate, in room B-30, have had work successfully exhibited in Warsaw, as it is there now.

Thanks to Greg Hill’s report, we are expanding Indigenous artist representation in the Indigenous Peoples Committee Room. Also, 13 more Canadian curators are writing about Senate art and heritage pieces, and their essays will be posted alongside those of last year.

Just this week, I was privileged to give the Canadian Museums Association Fellows Lecture as they work toward a new museums policy. Of course, I mentioned our projects. It does behoove us to connect with the wider art sector, as we do in every other field in this chamber.

I thank Senate curator Tamara Dolan and her colleagues for their careful work in enacting our newly approved industry standard-based policies. Thank you, colleagues, and especially the Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group members, for recognizing Canada’s artists past and present. It is important, well received and appreciated nationally. Thank you.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question and for raising the important issue, senator. I’m not in a position to answer the specific question. But I would say, as the minister said, that the government is committed to securing and providing a safe haven for those fleeing Ukraine from Russia’s large-scale invasion. Since January, colleagues, more than 17,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada. I’m advised that the government launched a new Canada-Ukraine emergency travel authorization, which aims to make it easier, faster and safer for Ukrainians to come to Canada. Over 72,000 applications have been approved under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel.

The government is working and continues to work with partners that include provinces and territories, the business community, the Ukrainian-Canadian community and settlement organizations on how best to support those arriving from Ukraine, and the government is committed to continue to closely monitor travel volumes and needs and to take appropriate action.

Hon. Mary Coyle: Honourable senators, Stephen Augustine, Hereditary Mi’kmaq Chief and Associate Vice President at Cape Breton University, tells the seven-level Mi’kmaq creation story. Today, as we belatedly celebrate Earth Day, I will share level three with you.

The third level of creation, down below us, is our Mother Earth, on whom we walk, and who bears the spirits of our ancestors. The interconnective relationship between Mother Earth and the whole of creation is evident in the Mi’kmaw language. The Mi’kmaw words for the people, and for the Earth, and for mother, and the drum, all come from that term which refers to “the surface on which we stand, and which we share with other surface dwellers.”

. . . When we hear that drumbeat, we are hearing the heartbeat of our Mother the Earth. And so it is understood that . . . we are children of the Earth and . . . “We recognize your heartbeat in the same way that a child after it is born recognizes the heartbeat of its own mother.”

Honourable senators, the first official Earth Day was initiated in 1970 by American Democratic Senator Gaylord Nelson and Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey.

The theme of the original Earth Day was “A Question of Survival,” and its message, as highlighted by Walter Cronkite, was “Act or die.”

Honourable senators, the theme of this year’s Earth Day is “Invest in Our Planet.” People the world over are being called upon to invest wisely and urgently. At COP26, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

Humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change. It’s one minute to midnight on that doomsday clock and we need to act now.

Colleagues, as senators in Canada’s upper chamber, we have a duty to legislate, investigate and represent Canadians. With this potent mandate, the advantages of our chamber’s independence, our long-term view and our collective resources, we are well placed to act on climate and to join efforts with legislators around the world.

Canadians should know that, so far, 43 of their senators from throughout the chamber have formed the Senators For Climate Solutions group in order to inform ourselves and to act, and we are collaborating with Peers for the Planet in the U.K. and connecting with our counterparts in the U.S. and Ireland.

Honourable senators, the doomsday clock ticking rapidly towards midnight is connected to the machine monitoring the quickening and increasingly erratic heartbeat of Mother Earth. Let us step up our investments in the health of our planet. It is an imperative for our economy, for our well-being and, frankly, for our lives and for those of all surface dwellers.

Welalioq. Thank you.

Hon. Jim Quinn: Honourable senators, earlier this month marked the one hundred and fifth anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. This battle began on April 9, 1917, and became a defining moment in our history. It is one of Canada’s most celebrated military victories, but it also came with heavy cost. The battle ended on April 12. About 100,000 Canadians served there, and of them, more than 10,600 suffered casualties, nearly 3,600 of which were fatal. The dedication, bravery and courage of Canadians from this battle and other theatres of the Great War stretched across the decades since — the Second World War, the Korean conflict, Afghanistan, and so many others — right up to this very day where members of our Canadian Armed Forces are deployed worldwide, serving to defend the cause of freedom and democracy. The women and men who serve do so with that same foundation of dedication, bravery and courage that marked the epic Battle of Vimy Ridge so long ago.

We must also never forget that it is our military women and men who also serve at home when Canadians need help in times of crisis, be it responding to fires, floods, storms or securing our safety.

There is no denying that today’s Canadian Armed Forces are facing many challenges, but I believe that all honourable colleagues would agree that the tens of thousands of women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces remain standing ready to respond and serve Canada in times of need, here at home and abroad. To them, I say thank you. On behalf of all Canadians, we thank you for standing ready to serve.

Hon. Rosa Galvez: Honourable senators, April 22 of last week was Earth Day. Our planet sustains all kinds of life by offering ecological services that ensure life for humans and millions of species. Thus, every day should be Earth Day.

Unfortunately, humans have taken for granted our unique planet. We have plunged into a climate crisis, fuelled by an illogical system that favours a linear economic model of resource extraction, manufacture, use, waste and pollution, without considering the planetary limits and healthy thresholds that allow for human life on earth.

[Translation]

Earlier this month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest report, in which it identified the various options for decarbonizing the planet. Unsurprisingly, the report sounds the alarm louder than ever and gives us an ultimatum. We have until 2025 to cap our greenhouse gas emissions. Otherwise, we will face a catastrophic climate disaster, as global warming surpasses 1.5°C. We are not on the right track.

This week, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development released five reports highlighting that Canada is not prepared for the transition. For example, the government is still not in a position to move forward with a just transition for workers. The federal carbon tax has significant weaknesses that undermine its effectiveness, and the government’s own activities are not in line with the objective of net-zero by 2050.

[English]

Colleagues, we are the highest instance of decision making and democracy in Canada, and we must do our part. Let’s be part of the ongoing race going around the world to reach net-zero emissions before 2050 and unleash the power of transformation for a better future that this race will bring us. Thank you. Meegwetch.

[Translation]

Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Esteemed colleagues, today I rise to pay tribute to a woman known for her kindness, faith and love for her family and her community. Cécile Mulaire died peacefully on March 29 at the age of 89.

Ms. Mulaire was known for her commitment to the community, her eternal optimism, her positive energy, her endless curiosity and her great generosity. She cared about and cared for everyone around her. Cécile Mulaire served as a reminder of how important it is to encourage and value others and to bring about change.

She was first called to serve in her church community, and she answered that call by participating in the Jeunesse agricole catholique movement and in the Marriage Encounters and Nathanael programs. She even took on pastoral duties if the priest was absent.

As a young married couple, she and her life partner René settled in St-Pierre-Jolys, my hometown, to open their first pharmacy and start a family. I first met Ms. Mulaire through her business. She was always friendly, polite, enthusiastic and kind. Her bright smile also served her well in connecting with people and building ties in her community.

Naturally, Cécile Mulaire served as a role model for her seven children and they, in turn, were a source of inspiration to her. In 1972, she created the popular little Franco-Manitoban hero with the pointy hat, the well-known Bicolo, who graced the pages of the newspaper La Liberté for a number of decades. Starting in 1972, this whimsical character became an educational tool for children ages 4 to 12. Encouraging young people to learn and get involved in the francophone culture and community was at the heart of the Bicolo project.

In 1991, when she decided to pass the torch to other community leaders, Club Bicolo had 10,500 members, including my two children. Bicolo had more followers in 1991 than I could ever hope to have on Twitter today.

Ms. Mulaire received several awards and honours, including the Prix Riel, the Prix Réseau and the Premier’s Volunteer Service Award. She also received the Ordre des francophones d’Amérique.

Cécile Mulaire has left quite a legacy for her children and her community. As Sophie Gaulin wrote so beautifully in La Liberté, “The Manitoban sky has welcomed one of our stars.”

[English]

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question. I am going to answer it directly, but I want to remind and advise colleagues in this chamber of the innovation that was in these commission reports and which the government welcomes, namely that, rather than waiting until the end of programs, these audits and reports were done in midstream so as to provide the welcome opportunity for the recommendations that it makes to be taken into account as the government adjusts.

To your question: Implicit in my answer — and I will say it more categorically — the government thanks the CESD for its report and accepts the audit’s recommendations within the context, as I will explain, of the narrow scope and limited time involved in that report.

The scope of the audit covered the period of January 2018 to September 2021 and therefore was not able to fully assess the work that was under way to deliver upcoming just transition legislation and the relevant Budget 2021 programming delivered by this government. Recent events, such as the ministerial round table on sustainable jobs, the relaunch of consultations on legislation and the clean jobs training centre demonstrate the government’s ongoing commitment to advancing just transition. Finally, the government is hard at work to ensure that just transition legislation is tabled in Parliament.

Hon. Marty Klyne: Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Senator Gold, my question is a follow-up on broadband connectivity for Canadians. I previously asked about spectrum options, also a subject of interest to Senator Patterson with his Bill S-242. Today, I’m going to focus on broadband internet service access for Indigenous communities, particularly on First Nation reserves.

On March 23, you noted:

. . . the Universal Broadband Fund supports the government’s initiatives to ensure that 100% of Canadian homes and businesses have access to speeds of at least 50 over 10 megabytes per second by 2030 . . . .

Those upload and download speeds are the CRTC’s standards today, and I expect with the advancement of broadband internet technology that will soon be yesterday’s standard.

More concerning today is the target date of 2030, which is going to be difficult to achieve, especially in First Nations households on-reserve.

In its 2020 Communications Monitoring Report, the CRTC published eye-popping statistics on the percentage of households on First Nations reserves that have access to broadband internet at the CRTC’s download and upload speed standards of 50 and 10 megabytes per second.

The report indicates that the availability of broadband internet services at the CRTC’s standard has been expanding in Canada, with 87% of all households having access. However, that is not the case for households on First Nations reserves, which are trailing far behind with only 35% having access to this service standard. Furthermore, there are significant disparities on First Nations reserves in different provinces and territories. In Saskatchewan, just 1.7% of households on-reserve have access to the internet at the CRTC’s standard. Yet in Quebec, it’s 63%. In Manitoba, it’s 2%. But in B.C. it’s closer to 68%, not to mention the fact that in Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon and Northwest Territories, that number stands at 0%.

I acknowledge that the government has invested billions to enhance Canada’s broadband network, including the very recent news from the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario that —

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. It’s an important one. The government knows that improved connectivity will ensure that Indigenous communities have access to online learning, job training, health care, social and cultural services as well as opportunities for entrepreneurship.

Federally funded projects are supporting the connection of nearly 1 million households, including those across 190 Indigenous communities. To support all applicants, but particularly smaller and Indigenous applicants, under the Universal Broadband Fund, the government created a pathfinder service that assists in building partnerships, points to potential sources of funding and helps to navigate the application process. In addition, the Universal Broadband Fund has allocated $50 million for mobile projects that primarily benefit Indigenous communities, and the Universal Broadband Fund’s Rapid Response Stream has already announced broadband projects that aim to connect 15,000 Indigenous households by the end of this year.

I’m advised that the government’s plan was developed to respond to its goal, to which you made reference, of connecting all Canadians to high-speed internet by 2030. That’s why the government is working with its partners, including all levels of government, the private sector and, of course, Indigenous communities.

With regard to the second part of your question, the government recognizes that Canada historically has not armed under-represented groups with the knowledge and skills to succeed in the innovation economy, and that’s why the government is bringing new or improved high-speed internet to 190 Indigenous communities that face unique connectivity challenges. A cornerstone of the federal government’s Intellectual Property Strategy was the promotion and protection of Indigenous knowledge and cultural expression. The government is committed to continuing to deliver simpler, more targeted and effective support for Indigenous entrepreneurs and businesses.