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

That the Senate of Canada recognize that:

(a)climate change is an urgent crisis that requires an immediate and ambitious response;

(b)human activity is unequivocally warming the atmosphere, ocean and land at an unprecedented pace, and is provoking weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe, including in the Arctic, which is warming at more than twice the global rate;

(c)failure to address climate change is resulting in catastrophic consequences especially for Canadian youth, Indigenous Peoples and future generations; and

(d)climate change is negatively impacting the health and safety of Canadians, and the financial stability of Canada;

That the Senate declare that Canada is in a national climate emergency which requires that Canada uphold its international commitments with respect to climate change and increase its climate action in line with the Paris Agreement’s objective of holding global warming well below two degrees Celsius and pursuing efforts to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius; and

That the Senate commit to action on mitigation and adaptation in response to the climate emergency and that it consider this urgency for action while undertaking its parliamentary business.

Hon. Mary Jane McCallum: Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources be authorized to examine and report on the cumulative positive and negative impacts of resource extraction and development, and their effects on environmental, economic and social considerations, when and if the committee is formed; and

That the committee submit its final report no later than December 31, 2022.

[Translation]

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

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.

[Translation]

Hon. Ratna Omidvar: My question is for Senator Gold, the Leader of the Government in the Senate.

My question, Senator Gold is about Afghanistan and our obligations to those who are in danger because they worked alongside Canadian Forces, Canadian NGOs, journalists and activists. Now they are in danger and Canadians believe it is our moral imperative to bring them to safety.

However, the government’s good intentions — and I want to grant that the government does have good intentions — must be followed through with execution and implementation. By all accounts, we are failing significantly on that front.

Why is the government not taking a leaf out of the Syrian refugee playbook? If there is a key lesson to take forward from our response from that time, it is this: A deadline serves all parts of the system, political and bureaucratic, to get to the finish line.

When will the government outline a detailed plan, with timelines, to bring Afghan refugees to Canada?

Senator Omidvar: Senator Gold, I draw your attention to the safe houses in Kabul that are being operated by former members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Our veterans have stepped up to the plate and are raising money so that Afghan interpreters and their families can be safe while efforts are being made for their evacuation. Their money has run out and these safe houses are being closed.

Can you tell us whether the Canadian government is going to fund these safe houses to support the safety of Afghan interpreters, and their families, who worked alongside our troops?

Hon. Thanh Hai Ngo: Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That the Senate note that, by adopting the Journey to Freedom Day Act on April 23, 2015, and taking into account the first two elements of the preamble of the said Act, the Parliament of Canada unequivocally recognized violations of:

(a)the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Viet-Nam and its protocols (Paris Peace Accords); and

(b)the Act of the International Conference on Viet-Nam; and

That the Senate urge the Government of Canada to call upon six or more of the current parties to the Act of the International Conference on Viet-Nam, which include Canada, France, Hungary, Indonesia, Poland, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, amongst others, to agree to the reconvention of the International Conference on Viet-Nam pursuant to Article 7(b) of the Act of the International Conference on Viet-Nam in order to settle disputes between the signatory parties due to the violations of the terms of the Paris Peace Accords and the Act of the International Conference on Viet-Nam.

[English]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. The government is very much preoccupied with this situation, as are our allies and partners around the world. Canada continues to discuss this issue with our partners to ensure that decisions that are made are both effective and coordinated.

Hon. Donna Dasko: Honourable senators, I give notice that, two days hence:

I will call the attention of the Senate to the role of leaders’ debates in enhancing democracy by engaging and informing voters.

Senator Plett: I hope that report will come sooner rather than later, leader. This is devastating, and continues to be so, for British Columbia.

This year, leader, British Columbia farmers have been challenged by the pandemic, wildfires, drought and now catastrophic flooding and mudslides. While yesterday’s Speech from the Throne contained a vague assurance that the Trudeau government will be there for the province, it barely mentioned our farmers from B.C. or, indeed, anywhere else in Canada.

Farm families need assurances from the Trudeau government that they will not be an afterthought once British Columbia begins its recovery process. Yesterday’s Throne Speech would have been a good time, leader, to offer that support, but instead it was nowhere to be found.

Leader, I appreciate that you’ll probably have to get back to us on this, but what long-term assistance is your government offering farmers and livestock producers who have had their operations destroyed by the floods in B.C.?

Hon. Mary Coyle: Honourable senators, I give notice that, two days hence:

I will call the attention of the Senate to the importance of finding solutions to transition Canada’s society, economy and resource use in pursuit of a fair, prosperous, sustainable and peaceful net-zero emissions future for our country and the planet.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): I will break slightly from protocol, if I could, Your Honour. We just got a text from our good friend and colleague Senator Seidman that her husband suddenly passed away this afternoon — complications with cancer — so our thoughts and prayers are with another colleague.

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

The devastation in British Columbia touches us all. The Canadian government has responded quickly to the calls of the B.C. government for assistance — much of which has been reported in the newspaper — military presence and financial aid.

I will make inquiries with regard to specific aid to those farmers who are suffering grievous damage as a result of this disaster and report back as quickly as I can.

Hon. Bev Busson: My question is for the representative of the government.

The sacrifices of the people of British Columbia in the latest natural disaster have once again laid bare the risk of supply chain disruption, not only in B.C. but our entire country.

Even as the immediate disaster relief and emergency response still unfold, we are yet again reminded — as was the case in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic — of the longer-term and dangerous fragilities of our supply chains. From food, to fuel, to feed for starving animals, supply chain resilience is an essential element of Canada’s longer-term sustainable economic development and, indeed, our national security.

The time has come for a national strategic plan for supply chain resilience that assesses vulnerabilities and aims to mitigate the risks for Canada as a whole — a strategy that ensures participation of all levels of government and all federal government departments involved in economic development, along with national security, industry and private-sector associations like Supply Chain Canada and others.

Will the Government of Canada consider developing a fully national and integrated strategic plan for supply chain resilience to more effectively address the next inevitable disaster?

Senator Busson: Thank you, Senator Gold. The appointment of a kind of “supply chain czar” in an appropriately senior level of the federal government could provide the focal point for continuing the work of all interested parties. This would give supply chain resilience the policy attention and priority it truly deserves. Given the importance of supply chain resilience in enabling sustainable and reliable economic development for Canada and our national security, would the government consider appointing such a senior “supply chain czar”?

Hon. Diane Bellemare: I have a question for the Government Representative in the Senate, Senator Gold, and I congratulate him on his reappointment.

My question has to do with the five-year agreement between the Bank of Canada and the Government of Canada. As you know, there is no in-depth review by parliamentary committees before the government signs an agreement with the Bank of Canada on specific monetary policy. This agreement has a significant influence on the country’s economy and public finances, but it is free from any scrutiny by parliamentarians.

December is fast approaching, and the agreement has yet to be renewed. That is unusual, since past agreements have generally been submitted in October. When can we expect to see this agreement, and when will we be able to question the Minister of Finance on the content of this agreement here in the chamber?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. I have inquired but have not yet received an answer from the government. I will share the answer as soon as I receive it.

As for when we will have an opportunity to question the Minister of Finance, I hope that this chamber will continue regularly inviting ministers for question period. The parliamentary groups will be discussing this topic in the coming weeks. I also hope that we will soon be able to invite ministers, including the Minister of Finance, to answer this question and any others that come up.

[English]

Hon. Dennis Glen Patterson: Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate.

Senator Gold, 8,300 people in my home town of Iqaluit, Nunavut, have been under a do-not-consume water advisory since October 12, 2021, after hydrocarbons were found in a section of the water-treatment plant. You can’t get rid of hydrocarbon contamination by boiling the water.

The source of alternative water for consumption has been our nearby river, which is now frozen, so protection measures must be put in place at the city reservoir, Lake Geraldine, in order to prevent source water contamination. A new monitoring station will help with early detection moving forward, and sea cans full of recyclables from the emergency response must be shipped out.

Will the government support the Iqalummiut in our time of need by providing financial support from funds such as the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund to pay for these much-needed disaster relief and prevention measures?

Hon. Diane F. Griffin: My question is to Senator Gold, the Government Representative in the Senate. The Budget Implementation Act, 2021 contains a drafting error because of a House of Commons amendment made at report stage. The error was not caught by the Senate prior to Royal Assent due to the bill being passed without going to committee and having clause-by-clause review. Under Division 31, entitled Increase to Old Age Security Pension and Payment, section 268 exempts from the calculation of income the $500, one-time Old Age Security payment for seniors aged 75 and above. This means that the benefit should not impact the OAS clawback threshold or income-tested benefits, like the Guaranteed Income Supplement.

However, this section incorrectly references section 276 rather than section 275 for the exemption. Section 275 refers to the $500, one-time payment under the Consolidated Revenue Fund. Section 276 refers to unrelated amendments to the Public Service Employment Act.

Question: Is the government aware of the drafting error and does it intend to introduce legislation to retroactively correct the error prior to the end of the tax year so that it does not impact income-tested benefits for seniors?

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

It is my understanding that Finance Canada has previously engaged with the office of the honourable senator in order to try to provide clarification on this matter. I have been assured by the government that there will be no impact on the benefits paid or to be paid to Canadian seniors arising from the issue that had been identified following parliamentary approval of Bill C-30.

I would also point out that Bill C-30 was the subject of a robust Senate pre-study involving six committees and that Division 31 of the bill, dealing with OAS increases, was studied extensively by the Senate’s Social Affairs Committee. The government remains focused on the successful implementation of increases to Old Age Security both in terms of short-term support through one-time payments, followed by the permanent 10% increase to monthly OAS pensions for seniors aged 75 and older beginning in July 2022.