Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): As Government Representative in the Senate, and at the risk of repeating myself, I have to say neither of those.

As part of Budget 2021, the government invested in helping workers reskill to meet the needs of employers. I have been told that the government has a plan to address this labour shortage by welcoming talented workers to Canada, keeping experienced workers in the workforce, boosting the participation of diverse Canadians in the skilled trades and address the specific needs of evolving sectors.

The problem in the sector that you mentioned is clearly not just a problem in Quebec, but elsewhere as well.

The Government of Canada will continue to work on this issue with its provincial and territorial partners.

[English]

Hon. Scott Tannas: Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to our friend and colleague, the Honourable Rob Black. Last week, the senator for Ontario was celebrated at the Canadian Western Agribition in Regina, Saskatchewan, as one of Canada’s top 50 most influential leaders in agriculture. He was recognized in the “Designated Hitters” category of leaders that you go to when you really need a home run.

Senator Black’s tireless, lifelong dedication to supporting Canadian agriculture — both on and off Parliament Hill — amounts to a staggering effort to strengthen the sector. Generations to come will be able to enjoy the fruits of his labour.

Indeed, earlier this year, he was named 2021 Produce Champion by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association for advancing the priorities of its members and the fresh fruit and vegetable industry.

A vital and little-known way that we as senators do our jobs is by meeting with people in our home provinces to encourage a lively exchange between Canadians and their senators.

Senator Black went above and beyond to stay engaged with the rural regions throughout the pandemic. He spent last summer touring farms and agricultural facilities all over Ontario, as well as in Acme and in Lethbridge, Alberta. He has plans to visit more rural communities across the Prairies, the Maritimes and the Territories when it is safe to do so.

Senator Black’s advocacy for rural regions and agriculture, while considering all Canadians, has earned the confidence and support of an entire industry.

Rob, your CSG colleagues are proud to serve with you in the Senate of Canada. Congratulations on your two well-deserved national awards.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

Senator Patterson: Senator McCallum, you talked about balance, but you’ve given a bit of a litany of woe about resource developments and Indigenous peoples in the country. Would you agree that there are some places in some regions, including my region of Nunavut and maybe even the oil sands, where Indigenous people get a fair share of revenues, where the land is taken care of, where they have secured decent and fair agreements on employment and business opportunities? Are there not some places where things are working well in this country?

Senator McCallum: Yes, there are. If you remember when I introduced this motion, I said we’re going to look at the negative and positive impacts of resource extraction. And it is those positive impacts that we haven’t heard of, and many people didn’t know about the negative impacts. So we will be studying both, and hopefully the witnesses that we bring will demonstrate that balance that we need to see and the recommendations that they’re going to bring forward, and have the country know that we can work together when we have examples of good relationships. Thank you.

Hon. Dennis Glen Patterson: If I may ask a quick question.

Senator Dalphond: Thank you, Senator Housakos, for this worthwhile initiative.

[English]

There are three bills the Senate has adopted that you are certainly modelling your bill on: the Framework on Palliative Care in Canada Act adopted in December 2017, the Federal Framework on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Act adopted June 2018, and the National Framework for Diabetes Act adopted in June 2021.

Do you have any indications or results from these bills? Maybe not the one on diabetes that came in just before we broke for the election, but the bills adopted in 2017 and 2018 all have the same deadlines you have: 12 months for a framework and 18 months to report to the House and the Senate. Do you have any information about how these frameworks have, in fact, been implemented?

Senator Housakos: I’m not aware of each and every one of them. I know, regarding the one on PTSD, that the government was a little bit tardy on meeting the timelines, but they did have the national conference and did table a report in Parliament in regard to that particular motion.

When it comes to motions, as you know, they are suggestions we make to the government, and we hope the government finds it in their benevolence to embrace them.

In this particular instance, one of the reasons why Senator Boehm and I decided to put it into a bill is it comes with more veracity of weight than just a simple motion. But in all fairness, we’ve tried to make this a non-prescriptive as possible, giving the government all the flexibility it would need.

We are just looking to move the sticks forward incrementally, as they say in football, pointing it in the right direction and shaking the tree a little bit. We find that successive governments have been reticent in tackling this issue, so we feel passing this bill in this state in a flexible and cooperative way will encourage the government to take the baton and run with it, as they have with most motions, even if, as in the case of PTSD, they were delayed six or seven months.

Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, we now find ourselves, unbelievably, on the last day of November. I did not want to let the month pass without acknowledging, in this place, National Indigenous Veterans Day, which was November 8, and Remembrance Day on November 11. It is important that we continue to honour and remember those Canadians as well as those First Nations and Métis people who bravely served in the Canadian military. I am particularly proud of contributions made to the Armed Forces by my father, Private Lauchie MacKinnon, and my brother, Commander Charlie MacKinnon, during their time in service.

Throughout my time in the Senate and working with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, I have had the opportunity to travel to many countries where I met with many of our incredible service men and women. Despite the many horrors of war and the toll it takes, not only on their physical bodies but on their mental health as well, these Canadians choose to serve. Their families also sacrifice in not having their loved ones near. Of course, with texting, Zoom, MS Teams and even email, things are much different than they were back in my father’s time when a letter home across the Atlantic could take weeks or months to arrive.

Honourable senators, last year I became an ambassador for VETS Canada. I am honoured to support this wonderful organization that aims to help veterans in need. VETS Canada was started in 2010 in Halifax by Jim Lowther, himself a veteran, to keep veterans who were living on the streets in high-risk situations from slipping through the cracks. Since then, he and his wife, Debbie, and a small team have grown the organization to provide aid of all sorts to veterans in need, including anything from groceries or helping to pay a power bill to emotional and mental-health support. They operate from coast to coast to coast with three drop-in support centres across the country and over 1,400 active volunteers.

One of the most successful initiatives run by VETS Canada has been the Guitars for Vets program. This program matches veterans or still-serving members who suffer from PTSD or other service-related disabilities with a gently used guitar, and it provides them with 10 free lessons with a guitar teacher online in order to put “the healing power of music in the hands of heroes.”

Earlier this month, I had the good fortune to attend a Guitars for Vets program in Halifax and to witness first-hand its profound impact. In this Circle of Service event, veterans were able to express themselves musically through songs they had written or learned to play through the Guitars for Vets program. The guest teacher and artist that day was Alan Doyle of Great Big Sea. Alan Doyle and Speaker Furey’s son Premier Andrew Furey were instrumental in starting the Dollar a Day Foundation, which provides funding to front line mental health and addictions programs across Canada. I thank them for their community spirit. This foundation provides funding to Guitars for Vets.

Honourable senators, I encourage you to check out VETS Canada and Guitars for Vets to see the valuable work they are doing. It is important that we not just acknowledge our veterans and their service on two designated days in the month of November, but that we do so all year round.

Hon. Rosemary Moodie: Honourable senators, before I begin I would like to offer my condolences to the families of Senator Keating and Senator Forest-Niesing, as well as to our colleague Senator Seidman who lost her husband earlier this month.

Welcome to our eight new colleagues in this chamber. I offer you my congratulations and support as you begin your journey here in the Senate.

Today I rise to celebrate National Child Day, which took place on November 20. This year marks three decades since Canada made the commitment to actively ensure that all children in our land are treated with dignity and respect, and that all have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Although this was already a significant challenge, it is much worsened by the pandemic and Canada continues to fall short. I would like to thank all the parents, families, teachers, activists and organizations who have worked night and day to ensure the well-being of our children and youth. We appreciate all that you do.

I want to thank and acknowledge our children for being our sources of joy, pride and motivation. Thank you for wearing masks and washing your hands, for staying home when it was nice out and for giving your grandparents space to keep them safe.

Thank you to our young people. Many of you put your own health on the line so that essential businesses could operate during this pandemic. Many of you did not really get to fully enjoy the final years of high school, spending time with friends and loved ones. I hope you know that your sacrifice has made a difference.

As parliamentarians, we must remember that all issues we face are children’s issues. We must remember that it is our responsibility to serve our children and to create a better Canada for them. We can be proud of the progress that has been made in health care in particular, the advancements in telehealth for children and the vaccines that are now available across the country for children aged 5 to 11.

Yet there is more to be done. A recent report from Campaign 2000 found that, in 2019, nearly one in five children continue to live in poverty — one in five children, colleagues. We must do better.

As we begin the Forty-fourth Parliament, let’s place children in the centre of every policy so that they are not left out. And once more, thank you to all our kids for all that you do every day.

Meegwetch, thank you.

[Translation]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, senator. The government is working closely with the Government of B.C. to provide assistance. In general terms, initially, as you know, military personnel were sent to help evacuate, and the government will continue to work with the Government of B.C. as it is working with other governments in the Atlantic area who are also suffering from problems related to weather and such.

With regard to your question, disaster financial assistance arrangements — or emergency management, more accurately — is a shared responsibility with the provinces, but the government remains committed and ready to respond to specific requests from the Government of B.C. to provide assistance, whether it’s to businesses whose situation has been affected, as you point out, or in other respects.

Hon. Éric Forest: My question is for the Leader of the Government.

Municipalities, especially large urban centres, are grappling with a resurgence of gun violence. Over the past two years, shootings in Montreal have claimed the lives of many young people. One of them was 15-year-old Meriem Boundaoui, who was shot to death in February in Saint-Léonard. Twenty-two-year-old Duckerns Pierre-Clermont was murdered not long ago in front of his home in Villeray. Sixteen-year-old Thomas Trudel was senselessly killed in Saint-Michel.

The Premier of Quebec and the Mayor of Montreal are urging the federal government to crack down on gun trafficking. Recently, the Union des municipalités du Québec’s executive committee called for tougher border controls and legislative amendments banning handguns. As the Mayor of Montreal said:

Cities are stepping up and continuing to do everything in their power to prevent violence, fight organized crime and keep our communities safe. We can’t do everything alone. The government of Canada must do its part.

Contrary to what was put forward in the Throne Speech, the federal government must ban handguns from coast to coast to coast immediately. It also has a moral obligation to collaborate with the provinces and municipalities to improve gun control.

How will this government finally act on its responsibilities and work with the provinces and municipalities to better control guns?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): I thank the senator for the question.

I would like to begin by expressing my condolences and those of senators and the Government of Canada to the family and loved ones of Thomas Trudel, who lost his life recently. The Government of Canada has done many things to reduce gun trafficking overall, including creating a cross-border task force to address smuggling and gun trafficking, creating a fund to provide financial support to the provinces and territories, and not only giving money to Quebec, but also granting $250 million to the municipalities to meet the needs of the communities.

To answer your question more specifically, as announced, the Government of Canada is prepared to work not only with the provinces, but also with the municipalities that want to ban handguns in their jurisdiction, and it will continue to provide financial support to the provinces, municipalities and territories that want to move forward.

Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Honourable senators, I rise today to emphasize the importance of participating in the 12 days of action to end violence against women. This event is being held from November 25 to December 6 this year.

Every year, throughout Quebec and Canada, far too many women fall prey to violence and die as a result. It is unacceptable that, in Canada, women are overrepresented in the incidents of violent crime reported to the police, including domestic violence, sexual assault and the sexual exploitation of minors.

A United Nations report on violence against women indicates that, in 2020, an estimated 242 million women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 around the world were subjected to sexual or physical violence by their partners in the preceding 12 months.

Sadly, our country is no stranger to this disturbing violence against women. In Canada, an attempt is made on a woman’s life every day and a woman is murdered every second day.

Last year, 50% of the 160 reported femicides were related to domestic violence. This year, 17 women were murdered by their intimate partners in Quebec, and the number of femicides increased by 52% in Ontario. The situation will only get worse in 2022.

Violence can affect any woman anytime. Twenty-four-year-old Romane Bonnier was murdered a few weeks ago by her former partner in broad daylight on a Montreal sidewalk.

Violence happens even when measures are taken to try to protect women. Too many cases prove these measures don’t work. We have to do more.

For example, 44-year-old Elisapee Angma was murdered in Kuujjuaq by her former partner shortly after a judge granted him parole. He had violated the terms of his no-contact order three times.

Violence against women spares no part of the country, no nationality, no class, no profession.

Let’s remember the brave women in uniform in the Canadian Armed Forces, who were sexually assaulted and left out in the cold.

Year after year, violence against women continues to rise even as the government becomes less and less interested and engaged in reducing it.

I can’t help reminding you that the next victim could be your daughter, your sister, your friend or your neighbour.

I have been fighting for this cause for 15 years now. You can and should join me by taking concrete action, such as passing bills that can help protect victims of violence and save more lives.

It is in this spirit that I introduced, last week, Bill S-205 to address domestic violence.

The 12 days of action to end violence against women concerns us all. We can do our part by joining forces here in the Senate and giving unanimous support to the bill so that it can be quickly studied, passed and sent to the other place.

I know I can count on all of you. Only courage and political will should guide us in our work on this bill.

As you know, I have been working very hard to end violence against women —

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

[English]

Hon. Mary Jane McCallum: Honourable senators, I rise today to speak on Indigenous Disability Awareness Month, or IDAM, on behalf of Neil Belanger from B.C.

IDAM is celebrated each November, with 2021 marking its seventh anniversary.

Currently, over 22% of the Canadian population lives with a disability. For Indigenous peoples in Canada, the disability rate is significantly higher, at over 30%.

Indigenous peoples living with disabilities face multiple barriers to their inclusion and their ability to thrive in Canada. These barriers include accessibility issues, limited access to safe and affordable housing and health and disability supports, low employment and educational attainment, and, unfortunately, they face systemic racism and disability discrimination. Despite this reality, Indigenous disability has been, and largely continues to be, an under-prioritized segment of the population domestically and globally.

In 2015, the British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society, or BCANDS, took it upon itself to change that narrative by raising awareness of Indigenous disability and the barriers faced, as well as highlighting the overwhelming contributions that Indigenous peoples living with disabilities bring to each of our communities. Thus, Indigenous Disability Awareness Month was born.

Since it’s 2015 inaugural year, IDAM has grown exponentially. It is now an officially recognized month in the provinces of British Columbia, Saskatchewan and my home province of Manitoba. In addition, countless Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations and communities have declared the month. This includes the B.C. First Nations Summit; Métis Nation BC; Council of Yukon First Nations; the Assembly of First Nations; and the capital cities of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2017, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recommended to the Government of Canada that they proclaim Indigenous Disability Awareness Month nationally — an idea which I personally support.

I would like to recognize and thank BCANDS for their leadership in raising awareness of Indigenous disability in Canada and abroad through their creation of Indigenous Disability Awareness Month. I ask each of you senators, and all Canadians, to join me in celebrating Indigenous peoples. We all play a role in moving Canada toward a more inclusive and barrier-free place. Thank you.

[Translation]

Hon. Percy Mockler: Honourable senators, today I invite you to go back in time with me.

On January 20, 1968, four Acadians were welcomed at the Élysée Palace by the President of the French Republic, Charles de Gaulle. Gilbert Finn, Dr. Léon Richard, Adélard Savoie and Euclide Daigle travelled to France as representatives of Acadia for what would become a historic visit. This remarkable meeting would become known as the moment that is described as the Acadian renaissance. For the occasion, the headline in the newspaper of the day, L’Évangéline, was “L’Acadie renaît” or “Acadia Reborn.”

Now let us travel 53 years later and imagine this small woman, a grande dame of Acadia, being welcomed at the Élysée by French President Emmanuel Macron. Antonine Maillet, Acadian novelist and playwright, great ambassador of Acadia, received from the hands of President Macron the insignia of Commander of the Legion of Honour of France. This recognition is one of the highest distinctions bestowed by the French government to a foreign national.

Ms. Maillet described the event as follows:

Today, Acadia, which is being received at the Élysée by the President of the French Republic and has always dreamed of remaining French, is brimming with happiness . . . . I want to say that Acadia has remained French, not just in its language, but also in spirit, in its memory, with its dreams for the future and its aspirations.

Honourable senators, on the same occasion, an oak tree was planted in the garden of the Élysée Palace. President Macron called this a symbol of the strength of the relationship between France and Acadia.

I want to reaffirm that Ms. Antonine Maillet is our ambassador, our oak that will stand for centuries. Ms. Maillet’s contribution to the development of the arts and culture in Acadia and throughout the international Francophonie has changed the way the world views Acadia and the importance of the French language in the world.

Today, we pay tribute to you, Ms. Maillet, and you should know that we are very grateful for all you have achieved and for your tremendous contribution to the people of Acadia.

Honourable senators, join me in honouring and congratulating the great lady of Acadia. As the people of Acadia would say, “Ms. Maillet, thank you for your extraordinary leadership.” To the people of Acadia, I say, “Let us continue together!”

Thank you.

Senator Housakos: The Leader of the Government in the Senate will only say that inflation is a global phenomenon. As was the case last week, you are leading us to believe that the Trudeau government does not take seriously the accessibility crisis in our country and its effect on the lives of Canadians. However, the reality is that Canada’s inflation rate is the second highest in the G7. Across the country, the cost of food, housing, home heating and transportation has skyrocketed. What will the Trudeau government do to help all Canadians deal with the cost of living crisis? Will you cut your reckless spending, or will you continue to sit back and do nothing, under the pretext that inflation is a global problem?

Hon. Leo Housakos (Acting Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Everyday life has become more unaffordable for Canadians under this Trudeau government, much as it did under the previous Trudeau government. Statistics Canada says that the inflation rate is now at its highest point in 18 years, yet we have a government that barely mentioned inflation in the Speech from the Throne and a finance minister who, not that long ago, believed that deflation is the greatest risk facing our economy.

Leader, your government’s answer, when asked about the rising cost of living, is to point to creating childcare spaces and building new housing — and that will be five years from now. How does that answer help a senior living on a fixed income struggling to buy groceries or medication? How does that help middle-class and poor Canadians when dealing with their day-to-day expenses? How does that help middle-class families with school-aged children trying to get by? Government leader, can you tell us what your government is going to do about this issue?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. On behalf of all honourable senators, congratulations on assuming this role. I look forward to working with you, senator.

The Government of Canada remains focused on the important and troubling issues of affordability and the cost of living. The Government of Canada has and will continue to support seniors and others in need. This is what it has done throughout the pandemic and will continue to do.

The measures to which you referred, child care and housing, though in some cases will not bear fruit immediately, represent a profoundly important and structural contribution to making life more affordable for thousands, if not millions, of Canadian families. Certainly primary caregivers, most of whom are women, will have the opportunity — as we’ve seen in the province of Quebec — to return to the workforce as a result of affordable childcare. The Minister of Finance has announced that she will be providing a fiscal update this fall, and at that point we will learn more about the continued and continuing programs that the government is putting into place.

[Translation]