Senator Gold: Senator, I can provide you some answers now.

To date, the ESDC’s integrity measures have identified more than 30,000 cases of potential fraud requiring an immediate stoppage in pay and the start of integrity investigations. By successfully stopping these payments, approximately $319 million in potentially erroneous payments were avoided.

With regard to the breakdown in cases, I’ll have to inquire with the government. I’ll add them to my questions and will report back in due course.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): The Government of Canada works hard to ensure that Canadians are properly treated with regard to all of the programs upon which we rely. With regard to your specific question, I don’t have an answer related to this particular policy. I will certainly make inquiries.

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, my question is also for the government leader. In a recent statement, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business said the following:

CFIB urges the federal government and provincial governments to exercise extreme caution when imposing new costs on small businesses at a time when a majority are still not back to normal sales or out from under their COVID-related debt.

On January 1, the Trudeau government will once again raise Canada Pension Plan payroll taxes on businesses. It will increase labour costs for small businesses while they are still struggling with inflation, supply chain issues and the pandemic.

In 2016, former Minister Morneau promised the CPP premium increases would be “relatively painless.” That is clearly not the case today, leader. Why is your government going ahead with the CPP premium hike in less than three weeks from now?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, senator, for your question and ongoing advocacy on this important topic. The government understands and agrees that a financially healthy agricultural sector is important for Canada’s economic well-being.

I have been informed that in response to the current challenges facing the sector — notably, impacts flowing from the pandemic — the government has committed programming to support agriculture. I note that the government has committed up to $550 million over the last year to support farmers in the fight against climate change. These include the Agricultural Climate Solutions, Agricultural Clean Technology Program and On-Farm Climate Action Fund program. I have been further advised that the current Canadian Agricultural Partnership provides significant support to the agriculture and agri-food sector, and the next policy framework for agriculture will build off the success of the partnership to help producers and processors address challenges and, importantly, seize the opportunities that lie before them.

Hon. Marty Klyne: Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That the papers and evidence received and taken and the work accomplished or produced by the Standing Senate Committee on Audit and Oversight during the Second Session of the Forty-third Parliament and by the Intersessional Authority be referred to the Standing Committee on Audit and Oversight.

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, it is an honour to speak about the importance of this year, 2021, which marks the fifty-fifth anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and Bulgaria. Our two countries share a long-standing history that dates back to the 19th century and is founded upon mutual respect and value placed on people-to-people ties, cultural and academic exchange, political and diplomatic values and commitment to democracy and human rights.

Today, the more than 80,000 people of Bulgarian descent who call Canada home have established strong communities from coast to coast across Canada and have contributed to Canada’s vibrant multicultural tapestry and the strengthening of our economy.

I am proud to serve as co-chair of the Canada-Bulgaria Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, working alongside House co-chair Shaun Chen and fellow parliamentary colleagues in both houses of Canada’s Parliament, as well as with our counterparts in Bulgaria, to further develop and strengthen Canada-Bulgaria relations.

June 30 marked the historic fifty-fifth anniversary of Canada-Bulgaria bilateral relations. Our countries enjoy mutually beneficial commercial relations that include trade, investment and cooperation on innovation, science and technology, to name a few.

In 2014, the Ambassador of Bulgaria in Canada, Svetlana Stoycheva-Etropolski, began her diplomatic post in Ottawa as Head of the Political Section and Deputy Head of Mission at the embassy. In 2017, we established the Canada-Bulgaria Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group. Ambassador Stoycheva-Etropolski was at the helm as chargé d’affaires and has served as head of mission ever since. I wish to commend Her Excellency Svetlana Stoycheva-Etropolski for her steadfast leadership and for the important role that she continues to play as the bridge between our two nations.

I have had the honour and pleasure of working closely with Ambassador Stoycheva-Etropolski, whose extensive private and diplomatic experiences — including a long list of achievements on the international stage — have served her country and our bilateral relations very well.

Honourable senators, please join me in recognizing the significance of the historic fifty-fifth anniversary of Canada-Bulgaria diplomatic relations. Thank you.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: If you wish the sitting to be suspended, please say “suspend.”

Therefore, we continue with the sitting.

Hon. Terry M. Mercer: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association concerning the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association United Kingdom Virtual Parliamentary Forum on Climate Change, held by video conference, from March 22 to 24, 2021.

[Translation]

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

(Motion negatived, on division.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Kutcher, seconded by the Honourable Senator Boehm:

That the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology be authorized, when and if it is formed, to examine and report on the Federal Framework for Suicide Prevention, including, but not limited to:

(a)evaluating the effectiveness of the Framework in significantly, substantially and sustainably decreasing rates of suicide since it was enacted;

(b)examining the rates of suicide in Canada as a whole and in unique populations, such as Indigenous, racialized and youth communities;

(c)reporting on the amount of federal funding provided to all suicide prevention programs or initiatives for the period 2000-2020 and determining what evidence-based criteria for suicide prevention was used in each selection;

(d)determining for each of the programs or interventions funded in paragraph (c), whether there was a demonstrated significant, substantive and sustained decrease in suicide rates in the population(s) targeted; and

(e)providing recommendations to ensure that Canada’s Federal Framework for Suicide Prevention and federal funding for suicide prevention activities are based on best available evidence of impact on suicide rate reduction; and

That the committee submit its final report on this study to the Senate no later than December 16, 2022.

Senator Loffreda: Thank you for the answer. I’m encouraged to hear that departments are actively working together to address these fraudulent activities related to the pandemic. I do agree, and I’ve said before and have always said, that the government was quick, agile and focused when it delivered its various emergency support programs. However, we all know that there were fraudulent activities, some of which could possibly have been prevented.

I appreciate that you will seek answers to my remaining questions and that it’s an ongoing exercise.

Can you provide us with a written update with the number of cases detected and the breakdown between fraudulent individual claims and business claims? To your knowledge, how much money was wrongfully disbursed and how much has been recouped since? I would appreciate if you could elaborate on that now.

Hon. Tony Loffreda: Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Senator Gold, I would like to ask you a question about COVID-related fraud prevention measures taken by the Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada and on the implementation of its four-year operational plan for post-payment integrity activities. The Fall Economic Statement 2020 allocated additional funding to increase their capacity to detect, investigate and address cases of fraud and misrepresentation.

In remarks delivered last month, Sarah Paquet, Director and CEO of FINTRAC addressed the issue of suspicious or false applications for COVID programs. Thankfully, Ms. Paquet said that:

Fraud-related activity targeting the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and the Canada Emergency Business Account has been low when compared to the many millions of Canadians who received much-needed support through these programs.

That is certainly reassuring.

Can you provide us with an update on the CRA and the ESDC’s post-payment verification work? I understand ESDC’s plan is supposed to be refined on a regular basis as the department gains experience and knowledge from its investigations.

I also note that the CRA said three months ago that it would commence post-compliance work. Has this work started? Are departments streamlining their efforts to get more bang for their buck? Are there any early lessons or findings that can help the departments better distribute future emergency aid?

Senator Gold: Thank you, senator, for your question. As I mentioned in my previous answer, the government has made progress on the digitization of applications, the creation of a digital portal to facilitate applications in the processing. I’m advised that Canada was the first country in the world to offer citizenship tests online, and the government continues to commit itself to accelerating processing times through the planned investments in modernization set out in Budget 2021.

[Translation]

Hon. Rosa Galvez: Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

[English]

Senator Gold, a recent report by Nature Canada and three other environmental organizations identify shortcomings in Canada’s approach to measuring and reporting carbon dioxide emissions from the forest sector. The report showed that Canada’s accounting approach fails to include more than 80 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions associated with logging each year in its emissions totals. That’s the equivalent of failing to report all the emissions from the heating of every building in Canada.

This understatement of the climate impact of logging is putting the achievement of Canada’s climate targets, as well as the protection of Canada’s forests, at risk. Will the government agree to appoint an independent expert group to review Canada’s approach to forest carbon accounting and issue recommendations for greater accuracy?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Senator, thank you for your question, and I thank you for your leadership on this topic. The report from Nature Canada to which you refer is welcomed by this government. The government has seen enhanced research of greenhouse gas emissions and welcomes that research. I’m advised that the government will be taking the report of Nature Canada into consideration. The government remains committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to look into emission leaks and gaps in order to continuously improve its work.

Senator Galvez: Canada’s failure to accurately report the true climate impact from its logging sector is perpetuating a myth that logging in Canada produces minimal CO₂ emissions when in reality industrial logging emits more carbon than the entire agricultural sector. Will the government review its forest carbon accounting practices in order to put in place more effective practices in advance of its fifth biannual report on climate change to the United Nations in 2022?

Senator Gold: Thank you, senator, for your question. As I mentioned, the government is committed to improving its work to reduce greenhouse emissions, which includes exploring where there may be possible leaks in data and the like. The government is further committed to continuously improving its practices and will ensure quality reporting to international organizations, such as the ones you mentioned.

[Translation]

Hon. Renée Dupuis: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, on March 17, I asked you what deadline the government had set for itself to review the policy and funding formula for the operating and maintenance costs of public drinking water systems on Indigenous reserves. You did not have an answer at the time.

I therefore asked the Parliamentary Budget Officer to calculate the amounts needed to eliminate the gap between water and sewer services in Indigenous communities and those received by non-Indigenous communities in a similar situation in the rest of Canada.

In his report released on December 1, the Parliamentary Budget Officer found that the funding allocated by the government for the years 2016 to 2026 to cover the operating and maintenance costs of the 1,298 public systems in 550 First Nations communities is insufficient. In fact, there is a $1.4‑billion shortfall to complete the planned work.

The new Minister of Indigenous Services told La Presse on November 11 that she is thinking about what a realistic timeline would be for removing the 119 long-term drinking water advisories that are currently in place. According to the minister, she hasn’t been able to set a timeline because she is examining the obstacles to removing the advisories.

Senator Gold, could you please check with the minister to find out what obstacles are preventing her from setting a timeline to resolve this issue?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question and for bringing up the unacceptable lack of drinking water in several places on Indigenous lands.

The government has already invested billions of dollars and is committed to continuing investing to ensure that First Nations have reliable water and wastewater infrastructure on reserve for the long term.

The government is also committed to fully funding operating and maintenance costs under the funding formula. It will strive to close any gap in this area.

I am told that the number of high-risk systems continues to decline and that more and more long-term drinking water advisories are being lifted. However, the government knows full well that there is still a lot of work to be done and is committed to addressing these unacceptable gaps.

Senator Dupuis: Senator Gold, could you pass along my question to the minister? I have asked questions about the obstacles to setting a timeline.

I have a supplementary question for you. An agreement was reached between the federal government and a number of First Nations in July 2021. It is an $8-billion settlement. In fact, a number of First Nations have filed lawsuits seeking compensation for having been under a drinking water advisory for more than a year, from 1995 to this date.

My questions are the following. First, can you provide details about each of the items in the $8-billion envelope? How many First Nations are included in this settlement? Will this amount be distributed equally to the First Nations included in the settlement? Will the work required to address these problems be carried out more quickly than in the other First Nations not included in this settlement? How many other First Nations not covered by this settlement are affected? Will the government compensate all the other First Nations subject to a drinking water advisory for more than one year, since 1995, but who are not part of this class action suit?