Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Honourable senators, I, too, would like to congratulate Senator Griffin for an outstanding term in the Senate.

My question is for the representative of the government in the Senate. Senator Gold, just a few weeks ago Minister Fraser, the Minister of Immigration, announced an ambitious immigration plan. However, as we know, events overtake plans, and the events of the last week in Ukraine perhaps more than most.

Will the government make additional commitments on top of the stated levels to accommodate a wave of Ukrainian refugees without impinging on its commitments to Afghan and other refugees?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, senator, for the question. Let me also add my voice to congratulate Senator Griffin on her contributions over the years.

The situation where Ukrainians are seeking to leave, and Afghans and others, is a tragic one. I can’t answer your question definitively. I’ll make inquiries at each level, but I can tell you this: For over a month now, the government has been giving priority to processing applications from Ukraine and bolstering Canada’s operational capacity in the region. Since January 19 the IRCC has approved nearly 2,000 applications from Ukrainian nationals and other peoples residing in Ukraine across various programs. The government has announced — I won’t go down the list, colleagues — additional measures to support Ukrainian and Canadian citizens in the region, including establishing a dedicated service channel for Ukrainian inquiries and so on. As the situation unfolds, the government is preparing additional measures and will increase our efforts to welcome Ukrainians in Canada.

Hon. Percy Mockler: I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to thank Senator Griffin for the remarkable leadership she has shown in the Senate.

There is no doubt in my mind that we are all saddened by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

[English]

As was so well said by Senator Boehm last Thursday, “The world changed last night and not for the better.”

Now, to the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Russia’s illegal attack on Ukraine has highlighted the grave security threat posed by Europe’s dependency on Russian natural gas. As one of the world’s largest producers of natural gas, Canada could help our friends and allies in Europe diversify its energy supply away from Russia.

Honourable senators, great news. Last month, it was reported that Spanish company Repsol is considering converting its Saint John LNG import terminal into an export terminal. It has also been reported that the company has filed its development plans with the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada.

We have here an opportunity, leader. What is your government’s response to this news? Would you see this as not only a way to support our own economy, but our security as well from coast to coast to coast?

[Translation]

Thank you, leader.

Hon. Diane F. Griffin: Honourable senators, thank you for your support. I wasn’t sure we were going to get to this stage tonight, but I really appreciate your indulgence in allowing me to speak to this motion today. I will be brief.

My comments will serve as a prelude to the more fulsome remarks that Senator Deacon will give either later this day or another. I’m the warm-up act for the main attraction.

Senator Deacon, Senator Carignan, Senator Anderson and I worked together since last May on a report that was presented to the Internal Economy Committee in February this year. We were tasked with some recommended short-, medium- and long-term actions that the Senate could take to make our institution more environmentally sustainable.

Our advisory working group report, which is available on the CIBA website, includes 11 recommendations. But the motion before you today asks you to approve two things: the proposed environmental policy statement, and the path that the Internal Economy Committee will take going forward.

The new principles-based policy statement would replace the Senate’s current environmental policy, adopted in 1993. We propose this principles-based policy statement, rather than a policy, in order to take a whole-of-organization approach. The statement is not prescriptive. We have a collective goal of reaching net zero by 2030, but what is practical for one directorate may not be for another. Therefore, we recommend the creation of “green teams,” and Senator Deacon will tell you more about this in his presentation. These green teams will be within individual directorates and an accountability framework to ensure integration into Senate-wide operations. Objectives and targets will be defined and reported.

The second part of this motion that will come from the group would empower Internal Economy to further examine the recommendations and include it in our report which: one, would secure external expert advice; two, empower the directorates of the Senate, senators and their staff; three, integrate a robust accountability framework into Senate governance.

Honourable senators, I thank Senator Deacon and his staff. They have done a lot of hard work on this, as well as Senator Carignan, Senator Anderson, their teams, our collaborators in the Senate Administration, the Library of Parliament analysts and Public Services and Procurement Canada. I know it’s starting to sound like a cast of thousands, but it was a small working group and we reached out to many. It was a great opportunity.

We have an opportunity here to show leadership and to serve as a model for other legislators in Canada and elsewhere. I therefore encourage you to support this motion when it comes to a vote. Thank you.

(On motion of Senator Wells, debate adjourned.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Omidvar, seconded by the Honourable Senator Audette, for the second reading of Bill S-217, An Act respecting the repurposing of certain seized, frozen or sequestrated assets.