Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, senator, for the question. It’s an important one.

Canada has contributed $2.6 billion to the global fight against the coronavirus. This includes a total of $1.3 billion to support access to the COVID Tools Accelerator.

Canada has also committed to donating the equivalent of at least 200 million doses to the COVAX facility by the end of 2022. This includes both financial commitments to COVAX and surplus dose donations. I’m advised that, as of March 4 of this year, 13.9 million surplus vaccine doses have been delivered through the COVAX facility, and the equivalent of 87 million doses have been provided through financial support.

I’m further advised that Canada has provided $50 million to the Pan American Health Organization to support efforts to introduce COVID-19 vaccines and ancillary supplies to reach those living in situations of vulnerability across the Caribbean and Latin America, including at-risk Venezuelan migrants and disadvantaged populations.

Portions of this grant, colleagues, are being used to procure vaccine doses for countries through the organization, and these are in addition to Canada’s commitments to COVAX.

Senator Coyle: Thank you very much, Senator Gold. You did mention something about ancillary supports, and I want to probe a little bit there.

We know that in addition to vaccine supply issues, many countries have difficulties in terms of a lack of appropriate vaccine infrastructure, including around the cold chain maintenance and vaccine storage.

What is Canada doing to address the gaps in infrastructure that are causing further delays in vaccine access in low-income countries?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question.

I’m not in a position to confirm that without making inquiries, which I will undertake to do.

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question.

No, I do not agree.

Hon. Mary Coyle: Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, we know that global resilience in the fight against COVID-19 is absolutely essential. We’re still in this pandemic.

We also know that over 80% of the Canadian population is fully vaccinated, yet, according to UNICEF, low-income countries have only approximately 9.4% of the population vaccinated with one dose. The rise in cases in one area of the world impacts us all. This is even more concerning with the arrival of new variants, including BA.2, which are disproportionately impacting areas of the world with low vaccination rates.

Senator Gold, can you tell us what Canada is doing to step up the way it is addressing the global inequality in vaccine access, especially in the global south? Thank you.

Hon. Tony Loffreda: Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, I would like to address the issue of the disbursement quota for registered charities. As you know, charities are required by law to spend 3.5% each year on their own charitable programs or on gifts to qualified donees.

In last year’s budget, the government promised to launch public consultations with charities on increasing the disbursement quota. The government noted that this could increase support for the charitable sector and those that rely on its services by between $1 billion and $2 billion annually.

I noted that in its July 2021 report the government’s Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector also indicated that one of its working groups was consulting on the matter. This, of course, is in line with one of the recommendations made by the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector in 2019.

Many are calling for the minimum 3.5% to be increased in light of the fact that there has been considerable growth in the investment assets of charities and foundations in recent years. We know that the disbursement quota is higher in the United States and Australia, for example. As we recover from the pandemic, now seems to be the appropriate time to increase the quota.

Can you provide us with an update on the government’s consultations on this matter? What options are currently being considered and are discussions being held at the Department of Finance Canada to include proposed changes in the upcoming budget?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, senator, for your question.

In Budget 2021, the government announced its intention to potentially increase the disbursement quota which could boost support for the charitable sector and benefit those that rely upon its services.

I’m advised that the federal government, indeed as you alluded to, launched a consultation process to give stakeholders and interested members of the public the opportunity to provide feedback. This process ended in December 2021.

The government looks forward to sharing the results of this consultation in due course.

Hon. Brian Francis: Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

In P.E.I., the rate of children and youth hospitalized for mental health disorders is the highest among provinces. It is almost twice the rate for Ontario and almost three times the rate for Nova Scotia.

Last summer, the Minister of Health announced over $9 million in funding for 57 distress centres across Canada. Senator Gold, are you able to share with us how many of those centres were located in P.E.I.?

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question, senator. I’m advised that the successful applicants within the second process to which you referred have not yet been announced as some final work with applications is still ongoing. As I noted earlier and will repeat, the Public Health Agency of Canada is currently working with an organization to service P.E.I.’s mental distress support needs regarding a request for funding. I’ll endeavour to seek clarification from the government and provide further information on federal funding for distress centres serving P.E.I. as soon as it becomes available.

[Translation]

Hon. Jean-Guy Dagenais: My question is for the Leader of the Government. Over the past few years, I have often heard — as have you, I’m sure — NDP members and even former NDP leaders call for the abolition of the Senate and insist that the work we do here in this chamber by virtue of the democratic powers conferred upon us is useless. We now know that the government you represent has saved its skin by cementing an alliance with the NDP, some of whose members will secure a pension for life by holding onto their seats until 2025. Voters chose a minority government, and the Liberals should be ashamed of manipulating that choice.

Leader, given the NDP’s condemnation of the Senate, how can you, with honour and integrity, champion any bill arising from NDP policy that will be submitted to this chamber?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question, dear colleague. I am completely comfortable with it. I consider myself a man of integrity, and I am comfortable continuing to advocate for government bills here in this chamber. I should emphasize that government bills are government bills. The NDP is not part of the Government of Canada, so I am completely comfortable continuing to do the work I do as well as I can. Thank you.

Senator Dagenais: Honourable senators, I would remind you that the NDP was not selected to govern Canada. I therefore want to ask the Leader of the Government whether he would agree that it is unacceptable, shameful even, that we will soon be asked to consider bills that stem from an alliance that is not consistent with the will of Canadians, as clearly expressed in an election that I would describe as unnecessary and extremely costly, called by your Prime Minister, leader, in 2021.

Senator Gold: The short answer is no. Everyone in this place, and I mean we as parliamentarians, understands very well how our democratic system works. Elections are held. Voters elect an MP for their riding, and the government is formed by the party with the most support in the House. It is neither unacceptable nor shameful, nor outside the parliamentary norms of our Westminster system, that agreements and arrangements are reached between various parties.

In closing, I would like to point out that most Canadians, over 50%, voted for either the Liberal Party or the NDP. That being said, this agreement between the two parties is quite normal under our parliamentary system.

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Senator Batters: Senator Gold, the Trudeau government’s rules haven’t kept pace with the evolving nature of the virus, particularly its Omicron variant. Even Canada’s federal health agencies haven’t endorsed blanket vaccine mandates as necessary, and Dr. Theresa Tam has said she thinks they should be reviewed. Doctors who testified before the House of Commons committee yesterday said that this government’s universal mandates were coercive, of limited benefit and have driven up vaccine hesitancy. The doctors know the science, Senator Gold, and they are saying the mandates are not necessary, yet the Trudeau government still refuses to drop the mandates.

Senator Gold, if science isn’t the basis for deciding when to lift the federal vaccine mandates, what is? Political science or political theatre?

Senator Gold: Neither one nor the other, with respect, senator. Science does not speak with one voice or a diversity of views, as there inevitably are in other areas of life as well. The government continues to evaluate the rules that it put in place, and its primary and exclusive concern is the health and well-being of Canadians.

Hon. Larry W. Smith: Honourable senators, my question is for Senator Gold.

Senator Gold, the recent aggression and invasion of sovereign Ukraine by the Russian Federation has highlighted a critical need for Canada to bolster its defence spending. Successive governments have failed to take seriously the very real threat posed not only to our sovereignty but the sovereignty of our NATO allies from adversaries abroad. Canada continues to fall short of its NATO spending obligations, becoming more isolated in a changing global environment. Even the most pacifistic of countries, such as Germany, are beginning to reverse their long‑standing policies, recognizing the need to meet their NATO obligations and bolster their militaries.

Senator Gold, a simple question: When will the government commit to spending the full 2% of GDP on national defence, as is our current obligation under NATO?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. As I have mentioned in this chamber, I think as recently as yesterday — and the Minister of National Defence, Minister Anand, has announced this — Canada is evaluating and considering what changes or what measures are to be included in the budget with regard to defence spending.

I’m going to take this opportunity to remind this chamber that nothing in the supply and confidence agreement that was entered into between the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party either undermines or compromises the government’s commitment or the vision it set out in Strong, Secure, Engaged, Canada’s defence policy, which was widely applauded as a major step forward. At the top of the minister’s mandate letter is making sure that the Canadian Armed Forces have the capability and culture needed to meet current and emerging threats.

I remark that when it comes to defence spending, the government is on an upwards trajectory, reversing years of cuts. Canada is notably now the sixth-largest contributor to NATO’s commonly funded budget. The government has been making critical, smart investments into our forces in addition to increasing spending by 70% between 2017 and 2026 to ensure that the Canadian Armed Forces have the right people, equipment, training and culture to do the difficult tasks that we ask of them.

As I said at the beginning, and I’ll conclude on this, the government continues in a responsible manner to evaluate a number of options to ensure that Canada continues to have a robust and effective response to Canada’s defence needs both at home and abroad.

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question. Again, as I have stated on other occasions in this chamber, Canada is committed to doing everything that it can do, and is doing everything it can do, to defend our sovereignty in the Arctic. That includes investments in assets and training, and through other measures of diplomacy and the like.

Senator Smith: Senator Gold, the question here is that Canada spends 1.39% of GDP on defence and we have been asked to spend 2% because we’re not meeting our obligations within NATO.

Continuing the question, Guy Thibault, a retired Vice Chief of Defence Staff, was quoted this past week in a Toronto Star article, saying about the Arctic:

Clearly it’s going to become a new frontier . . . And we should be very worried about what Russia is doing, not only in Eastern Europe but around the world, and China’s interest up there.

Russia’s militarization and encroachment in the North coupled with Canada’s persistent patchwork of failed promises and policies have left the Arctic vulnerable for far too long. Senator Gold, will this government finally put in place a concrete action plan that reaffirms Canada’s claim to the Arctic?