Hon. Terry M. Mercer: Honourable senators, this past fall, my wife, Ellen, and I, along with our children, Michael and Lisa, and our grandchildren, Ellie and Oliver, once again participated in Ovarian Cancer Canada’s Walk of Hope in Halifax. It is one of the many communities across the country where the walk takes place. We participated by walking in our neighbourhood, as COVID protocols were in place. To date, the walk has raised over $30 million to provide the much-needed support for patients; increased awareness, especially for early detection; and funding for the critical research to fight against ovarian cancer.

Many of my honourable colleagues, family and friends have donated to this cause that has been so dear to us for years on end. We are very thankful for that. This year was especially meaningful for my wife, Ellen, as she celebrated 25 years since her surgery in her fight against ovarian cancer. Ellen is one of the lucky ones and we are so lucky to still have her with us.

We are so proud every year to participate in the walk in support of her and all women who have been diagnosed — and have not survived — with ovarian cancer.

According to Ovarian Cancer Canada:

Thousands of women are living with ovarian cancer in Canada. It is estimated that this year 3,100 Canadian women will be newly diagnosed with this disease. Ovarian cancer is the 5th most common cancer for women and is the most serious women’s cancer.

Honourable senators, through everyone’s kindness and generosity, Team Ellen Mercer raised about $3,000 this year. We have consistently broken our records every year, and we are truly thankful to everyone who has donated. With everyone’s help, we can defeat this horrible disease. While I may be retiring from this place in May, I will continue to support Ovarian Cancer Canada’s Walk of Hope, so you have not heard the last of me just yet.

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season with family and friends. Thank you.

Hon. Stan Kutcher: Honourable senators, today I rise to recognize the impact of those teachers and coaches who have made a difference in the lives of their students through their encouragement, realistic, yet demanding expectations, and mentorship.

I imagine that many, if not all of us in this chamber can think back on our earlier lives and identify one or more of these ordinary Canadians who have done extraordinary things. I would even hazard to guess that many of us in this chamber owe a debt of gratitude for the advice, support and mentorship that we have received. Indeed, some might say that without that relationship in our early years we may have walked a different and perhaps less fruitful path.

We know that some of our honourable members are teachers by profession and they have taught young people at many different stages in their educational journey, especially in junior high and secondary school — that time of life when some of the most important influences on what a young person could be are present.

So I would like to signal my appreciation to Senators Cordy, Deacon and Martin, who have no doubt had substantial influence on the lives of young people.

This reflection was brought forward when I received an email out of the blue from the person who was my gym teacher and track coach in secondary school, Westdale Collegiate Institute, in Hamilton, Ontario.

Let me be clear: I may have been a star athlete in my own mind, but the reality is quite different than that fantasy. I did okay, but I would never have been confused with any of our country’s champions — a far distance from the world-leading athleticism of our own Senator Petitclerc.

The email came from Bob Chapman, one of my cherished teachers and a track coach. Our team was a small squad of pretty good runners that he would drive around much of Ontario for weekend track meets in his rusty old green Rambler. He would be at the school early in the morning to supervise strength training; made himself available at lunchtime if anyone needed to talk about anything; and spent every weekday evening for nine months, encompassing all the seasons of cross-country, indoor and outdoor track, putting us through our paces.

I will never forget his prescient observation, one that he would make quite frequently; so frequently, indeed, that it became a credo that many of my teammates and I kept with us for the rest of our lives. Just when we felt there was no more gas left in the tank, he would say, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And we did.

So, Bob, to you and every other teacher and coach, thank you for being an ordinary Canadian who is doing extraordinary things and enriching so many lives.

Hon. Salma Ataullahjan: Honourable senators, as many of you are aware, last week just 15 kilometres from where I currently stand before you, a Grade 3 teacher in Chelsea, Quebec was told she can no longer be allowed to teach because of the attire she chose to wear.

Bill 21 is discriminatory and racist. Instead of ensuring the equality of all people in the province of Quebec, it creates two distinct classes: those who may pursue their career regardless of their faith and those who may not.

I understand this is a provincial law, but I cannot in good conscience as a racialized person and as a human rights advocate, remain silent while fellow Canadians are being blatantly targeted. As a representative of a community, I must be a voice for the silenced.

This secularism bill, under the guise of separating state from religion, prohibits certain persons from wearing religious symbols and therefore disproportionately affects women by limiting their sense of agency. Let me remind you that this bill was originally meant to only affect police officers, correctional services officers and judges. It was then extended to teachers. Who will be next?

We have already seen the rise of Islamophobia during the pandemic. By creating this second-class citizenship, this secularism bill normalizes the “othering” of visible minorities.

Honourable senators, the removal of Fatemeh Anvari has upended the lives of children who, until last Thursday, only saw Ms. Anvari as a teacher, regardless of her hijab. As one of these students wrote in a letter to Ms. Anvari, made publicly available:

It’s not fair that you can’t teach. I actually think your hijab is awesome and you’re the best teacher ever.

These students are now being taught that as a hijab-wearing Muslim woman, she is unfit to teach. While Ms. Anvari continues to work at the school outside the classroom on a literacy project advocating for inclusion and awareness of diversity, I call upon you, my fellow parliamentarians, to remember these values as well. Thank you.

Hon. Peter M. Boehm: Honourable senators, pursuant to rule 12-26(2) of the Rules of the Senate, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, which deals with the expenses incurred by the committee during the Second Session of the Forty-Third Parliament.

(For text of report, see today’s Journals of the Senate, p. 173.)

[English]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the Economic and Fiscal Update 2021.

[Translation]

Hon. Brent Cotter: Honourable senators, with leave of the Senate and notwithstanding rule 5-5(j), I move:

That, until March 31, 2022, the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators be authorized to:

(a)meet even though the Senate may then be sitting, and that rule 12-18(1) be suspended in relation thereto;

(b)hold hybrid meetings or meetings entirely by videoconference; and

That for greater certainty the provisions of subparagraphs 20 to 22 of the order adopted by the Senate on November 25, 2021, concerning hybrid committee meetings apply in relation to meetings of this committee, including meetings held entirely by videoconference.

Hon. Brian Francis: Honourable senators, pursuant to rule 12-26(2) of the Rules of the Senate, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, which deals with the expenses incurred by the committee during the Second Session of the Forty-Third Parliament.

(For text of report, see today’s Journals of the Senate, p. 174.)

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question.

It is not the case that the government is not doing anything; it is quite the contrary. For example, the renewal of the Bank of Canada’s mandate of 2%, with additional criteria that the bank can consider, is one, but only one, indicator of the seriousness with which the government approaches the issue of inflation.

Again, it is important to remind us all, as most of us know, that the inflation we are experiencing and the cost of living is not exclusively or even largely a function of monetary policy, and it might not even be largely — certainly not exclusively — be a function of the investments that this government made with the support of all parties and members in this chamber to combat the pandemic.

It is a global phenomenon that Canada is grappling with, as are other countries.

Canada remains on track. The government is confident that its plan will help us through this period, mindful as it is of the burden and increased costs on Canadians, as you have quite properly mentioned.

Senator Gold: I will certainly be pleased to pass on your recommendations when I make the inquiries.

[Translation]

Hon. Marilou McPhedran: Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. My question to you is in the spirit of the holiday season.

According to the World Organisation for Animal Health, there have been few reports of pets spreading COVID-19 to people. The Public Health Agency of Canada tracks and analyzes research and case reports from around the world on COVID-19 and animals. However, Senator Gold, we have it on good authority that one of the most widely travelled and famous characters in the world is planning to take to the skies very soon. This individual travels in close connection to reindeer, and it is reported that he will access the interiors of thousands of homes while occupants are sleeping.

Senator Gold, can the government provide any assurance that there is no risk to Canadians with the impending international visits by Santa Claus and his reindeer?

Hon. René Cormier: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate, but if I may, I’d like to first wish happy holidays to all of my colleagues in the Senate and all the staff. I wish you a healthy and safe holiday season.

Since 2016, Senate applications have been reviewed by an independent advisory board. This independent and non-partisan body is mandated to:

 . . . provide non-binding merit-based recommendations to the Prime Minister on Senate nominations.

In establishing a list of candidates, the board members seek to support the Government of Canada’s intent “to ensure representation of . . . linguistic, minority and ethnic communities in the Senate.”

On May 27, 2021, in response to a question I asked the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, the then President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, he told the chamber, and I quote:

We recognize the importance of making sure these communities are properly represented as senators are appointed. The Prime Minister is absolutely willing to do that. . . . I am confident that we may see other Acadians appointed to the Senate, and that they will not just come from our province of New Brunswick, but from other provinces as well.

However, Nova Scotia has had no Acadian representation in the Senate ever since the Honourable Gérald Comeau retired on November 30, 2013, a first since 1907. Newfoundland and Labrador, meanwhile, has never had a francophone Senate representative. Prince Edward Island has no Acadian representation, and Northern New Brunswick, a region often forgotten by our elected officials, has been without a Senate representative since Senator Paul McIntyre retired.

Given the exceptional expertise of many Acadians in Atlantic Canada, and considering the number of Senate vacancies, when does the Prime Minister plan to recommend senators from the Acadian and francophone communities of the Atlantic provinces to the Governor General of Canada?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question and for raising the very important issue of connectivity, which the pandemic has made even more acute and obvious to all Canadians. The government is committed to a regime within which all Canadians have access to affordable, quality internet connectivity, and we will be mindful of that commitment as we approach the next auction. The issue that you raised has been much in the news. The government is aware of it. I have no information at this juncture to share with regard to the government’s plans. I will make some inquiries and endeavour to get back to the chamber when I have an answer.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Senator, thank you for your question, though for reasons many of you will appreciate, my family has never been graced with visits in this season. However, it is not the case that I am indifferent to the situation you describe. Indeed, I have been known to be a bit jealous waking up in the morning, knowing that my friends down the block were unpacking presents and I could only stare wistfully at my tottering dreidel on the mantelpiece.

With regard to your question, although COVID has been found in white-tailed deer — indeed, in my province — there is apparently no known transmission from deer to humans. I am hopeful that this provides some reassurance to those who are looking forward to a Christmas surrounded by family and presents.

Senator Patterson: Senator Gold, I am referring to northern, rural and remote communities where competition is the key to affordable services. To that end, the government has, as you have just done, touted the merits of expanding connectivity to rural and remote Canada and fostering competition in public policies. Yet, despite the government’s policy statements, much of the spectrum is not being used for these communities, leaving them without connectivity, never mind competition.

Is the government considering other policies in the coming auction to ensure that all those willing to build wireless internet networks have enough spectrum to build and help these rural and remote communities get the connectivity and competition they deserve?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, Senator Cormier. As we know, the Senate has a long history of defending official language communities. I applaud the efforts and the activism of our predecessors and of our colleagues in this chamber who carry that torch, including several representatives from the Maritimes.

The Government of Canada seeks to appoint outstanding people to the Senate, while reflecting our country’s diversity. The government is also following through on its commitment to build a more effective, more independent and less partisan Senate. Part of that commitment involves the process that you mentioned, namely the independent, non-partisan advisory board that makes recommendations to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister then presents his recommendations to the Governor General.

I have been assured that the independent appointment process is working well and that we need to wait for the results of the next cycle to find out who will be appointed from the Maritime provinces.

Hon. René Cormier: Honourable senators, my question has to do with francophone affairs. Today, the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada and the Commission nationale des parents francophones said they were:

 . . . aghast to learn that there are hardly any measures for the Francophonie in most of the agreements signed with the provinces and territories for the national child care program.

If that is the case, can the Government of Canada guarantee that the new version of the bill to modernize the Official Languages Act will include key provisions to promote the inclusion of strong language clauses in federal-provincial agreements?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. The government is working with its provincial and territorial partners to support the vitality of official language minority communities, while respecting their areas of jurisdiction. That is why every Canada-wide bilateral agreement signed so far with the provinces and territories, apart from Quebec, includes provisions to protect and respect the rights of official language minority communities based on the specific priorities and context of each jurisdiction.

I am told that the government is aware of the issue of linguistic provisions. It is working closely with its partners and OLMCs in order to ensure that the bill to be tabled in this Parliament meets their needs.

[English]

Hon. Stan Kutcher: Honourable senators, my question is for Senator Gold. The federal government has distributed millions of rapid tests across Canada and has recently announced that more will be coming. This is good. Rapid tests are a useful tool that Canadians can self-apply to help decrease the spread of COVID. This is especially important with the rise of this most transmissible variant.

In Nova Scotia, thanks to the great work of our public health leaders and our rapid test guru, Dr. Lisa Barrett, over 2 million tests in a population of 1 million people have been distributed. They are free and provided in community settings, as well as workplaces, schools, shelters and outbreak areas. Over 3,400 volunteers have helped put them together, including our very own Senator Colin Deacon.

Will the Government of Canada continue to make sure, as long as they are needed, that there is a rapid test supply being procured to keep provinces and territories adequately resourced and that locations, such as Nova Scotia, that have demonstrated successful deployment and outbreak containment through asymptomatic testing will continue to receive them?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. Following the economic statement, the government is committing $1.7 billion to continue supporting provinces and territories in securing rapid testing supplies that they need to keep our citizens safe and healthy.

I’ve also been advised that the government has already authorized 24 of these tests, and we can expect more to be authorized as the technology develops. I have been further advised that the government has ordered over 35 million tests for all provinces and territories. I’m also told that the government has deployed a large number of tests to provinces and territories and has shared guidance as to how they can be used effectively. This will increase our ability to detect, track and address outbreaks of COVID-19 variants in Canada.