The Hon. the Speaker: All those opposed in the Senate Chamber will please say “nay.”

Senator Carignan: Will the Minister of Justice commit to releasing all the essential facts used to justify this phantom trial? Will he commit to disclosing, at the very least, the name of the presiding judge?

The Hon. the Speaker: It was moved by the Honourable Senator Gagné, seconded by the Honourable Senator Gold, that the bill be read a third time. If you are opposed to the motion, please say “no.”

The Hon. the Speaker: Are honourable senators ready for the question?

The Hon. the Speaker: In my opinion, the “yeas” have it.

And two honourable senators having risen:

The Hon. the Speaker: I hear a “no.” Those in favour of the motion who are in the Senate Chamber will please say “yea.”

An Hon. Senator: Now.

Senator Carignan: Is it also possible to know who in the ranks of the office of the Attorney General of Canada would be able to authorize a phantom trial in Canada?

The Hon. the Speaker: Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, when shall this report be taken into consideration?

(On motion of Senator Jaffer, report placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.)

[English]

Hon. Mobina S. B. Jaffer, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, presented the following report:

Thursday, March 31, 2022

The Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs has the honour to present its

FOURTH REPORT

Your committee, to which was referred motion No. 14 under Government Business, which proposes “that an amendment to the Constitution of Canada be authorized to be made by proclamation issued by Her Excellency the Governor General under the Great Seal of Canada in accordance with the annexe schedule” to repeal section 24 of the Saskatchewan Act, has, in obedience to the order of reference of Tuesday, March 1, 2022, examined the said motion and herewith presents its report.

Your committee recommends that the Senate adopt the said motion.

Your committee notes that the adoption of this report by the Senate would constitute the Senate’s agreement with the proposed resolution to amend the Constitution.

Your committee notes that this report was adopted on division. Your committee held two meetings over four hours and heard from the following witnesses:

•The Honourable Gordon S. Wyant, MLA, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Government of Saskatchewan

•Michelle Lang, Chief of Staff for the Honourable Gordon S. Wyant, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Government of Saskatchewan

•Louise Baird, Assistant Deputy Minister, Intergovernmental Affairs, Privy Council Office

•Daniel Bourgeois, Senior General Counsel, Tax Law, Department of Justice Canada

•Warren J. Newman, Senior General Counsel, Public Law, Department of Justice Canada

•Nancy Othmer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Public Law and Legislative Services, Department of Justice Canada

•Merrilee Rasmussen, Lawyer, Rasmussen & Co, Barristers and Solicitor

•Michael Vandergrift, Deputy Minister, Intergovernmental Affairs, Privy Council Office

•James Clements, Senior Vice-President, Strategic Planning and Technology Transformation, Canadian Pacific

•Dwight Newman, Professor of Law and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Rights in Constitutional and International Law, University of Saskatchewan

•Benoît Pelletier, Professor, University of Ottawa

•Patrick Taillon, Professor and co-director, Centre for Constitutional and Administrative Law

Respectfully submitted,

MOBINA S. B. JAFFER

Chair

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. As senators and colleagues would rightly understand, the internet is a space that knows few borders, notwithstanding our sovereign right to regulate as best we can. Therefore it’s an all-of-government issue to make sure that Canada remains protected against all forms of threats emanating from cyberspace, whether it’s information online or information coming from foreign sources. In that regard, we have agencies like the Communications Security Establishment, CSIS, the RCMP and others working with government and partners to ensure that we remain safe, both from cyberattacks and from the other equally pernicious forms of misinformation that come our way through the cyberspace.

Hon. Claude Carignan: Does the Minister of Justice, in his capacity as the Attorney General of Canada, intend to make an application to the Court of Appeal, just like his Quebec counterpart, to obtain as much information as possible about the controversial phantom trial?

Hon. Robert Black: Honourable senators, I have a second agricultural question for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, as you may know, the Agri-Food Innovation Council, otherwise known as AIC, with the support of the agricultural sector, called for the creation of a national strategy on research and innovation in the agri-food sector in September 2021.

In fact, there have already been 32 key supporters, including the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association; CropLife Canada; the Deans Council – Agriculture, Food & Veterinary Medicine; Olds College; TELUS Agriculture; and the Rural Development Network, among many others.

Agri-food in Canada has strong innovative potential and is the key driver of economic growth. It is one of Canada’s best‑performing sectors. But, in order for Canada’s agri-food sector to continue to meet the world’s markets’ growing demand, innovation must be supported through science-based policy work and needs-specific funding.

Honourable colleagues, I recently met with representatives of AIC, who indicated that they are ready and willing to co-chair the group developing the strategy in hopes that the government will provide the other co-chair. However, AIC is not pushing what should be included in the strategy. They are simply pushing for the creation of a strategy and the inclusion of industry through an equal-led process between government and industry.

Senator Gold, can you advise us on the status of the creation of the national strategy on research and innovation in the agri-food sector?

Senator Cordy: I will.

Hon. Patricia Bovey: Would Senator Cordy take one more question?

Senator Patterson: Senator Cordy, you asked why we should not follow the House of Commons in continuing hybrid until the end of June. I would say to you that the problem we have in the Senate is that, unlike the House of Commons, we clearly do not have the adequate resources to support our committees while we’re in the hybrid mode. You understand that those resources are interpreters, technical operators and camera operators. That limits us to one committee meeting per week.

So I would like to ask you this: Would you agree that until we get adequate resources to allow our committees to do the important work that Senate committees do, we should not be embracing the hybrid motion because it’s crippling our ability to do our committee work?

The Hon. the Speaker: Are senators ready for the question?

Senator Marshall: Yes, of course.