Senator Gold: Thank you for your question. I respect, and the government respects, the work of public bills in the Senate.

As you know — and, indeed, it is a position that your leader has taken with me and which I accept and respect — the negotiation on the passage of non-government bills is left to the leaders of the parliamentary groups and is not the responsibility of the Government Representative Office.

Senator Loffreda: Thank you for the answer. I will impatiently await that response.

Beyond providing the minister with advice on assisting women in regaining full employment and improving labour force participation during the pandemic, the task force was also tasked with considering broader and longer-term issues related to gender equality and women’s well-being, such as the gender wage gap and women’s under-representation in leadership positions.

Can you provide us with how the advice of the task force helped shape and influence some of the policy choices the government made over the past two years that have had an impact on women and the economy?

I understand from your first answer that you do not have the report, but maybe, when you do provide a written response, you could include those answers.

Senator Smith: The government’s new immigration targets will create additional demand pressures on the health care system. These new immigrants will require access to hospitals, family doctors and other health-related services. Immigrants also bring with them a wealth of knowledge and expertise in every sector of our economy, including health care.

Is the federal government working with provinces, territories and foreign credential recognition programs? Are there specific progress details that you could provide?

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Felix Daniel Uiyaki Aupalu, Founder and Program Director of All Arctic. He is the guest of the Honourable Senator Coyle.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Felix Daniel Uiyaki Aupalu, Founder and Program Director of All Arctic. He is the guest of the Honourable Senator Coyle.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

[English]

Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Senator Gold, yesterday I asked you about the Chinese government’s growing influence in Canada. Your answer wasn’t really satisfactory. You said, and I quote:

One must be willing to learn and change when faced with facts and situations like the one Canada . . . [is] experiencing right now. . . . [This] is why the Canadian government is taking meaningful action to protect us and to reassess many aspects of our relationship with China.

This morning, we learned that the RCMP is investigating three Chinese police stations in Longueuil and Montreal. There are already five in Toronto and there must be some in Vancouver, which has a large Chinese community.

The Prime Minister’s inaction dates back to 2018, when he wanted to allow Chinese armed forces to operate on Canadian soil and the Canadian army opposed the idea. Doesn’t it seem like the Prime Minister lacks political judgment?

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

The government is committed to ensuring that the Safety of Sperm and Ova Regulations continue to be based on the most recent scientific data and techniques in the field of assisted reproduction. Given the recent changes to the blood donor screening criteria of both Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec, which you mentioned, the government is exploring whether similar updates may be appropriate in the context of sperm and ova donations .

The government is committed to supporting policies that are safe, non-discriminatory and scientifically based. Health Canada is aware that an application has been filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and is currently reviewing it. We can’t comment any further at the moment.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Honourable senators, when shall this bill be read the third time?

(On motion of Senator Gold, bill referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Harder, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator Bellemare, for the second reading of Bill C-18, An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada.

Senator Gold: That is the government’s goal and it was included in the mandate letter. I will make inquiries to see what progress is being made. I will come back to the Senate with an answer.

[English]

Senator Plett: Some of —

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

Hon. Brent Cotter, pursuant to notice of March 7, 2023, moved:

That, notwithstanding the order of the Senate adopted on Thursday, June 23, 2022, the date for the final report of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs in relation to its study on self-induced intoxication be extended from March 10, 2023, to April 30, 2023.

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

Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: My question is for Senator Gold, the Government Representative.

Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: My question is for Senator Gold, the Government Representative.

In the last election, the Liberal Party promised Canadians that the live export of horses for slaughter would be banned, yet horses continue to suffer. On March 1, 2023, The Globe and Mail reported about the continued practice of shipping draft horses to Japan by cargo plane, up to four in each crate, without food or water for 25 to 30 hours.

Senator Gold, when is the government going to act on its promise to ban this kind of shipment to Japan?

(1450)

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question. Concerning the fact that the Chinese representative is boasting about that country’s influence, let me paraphrase distinguished journalist Chantal Hébert and say that boasting about their influence is part of their job.

Nevertheless, we’re taking this seriously. I am not going to waste the time we have left in Question Period by repeating once again why the government believes the processes put in place are more appropriate for finding the answers we need.

[English]

Senator Boisvenu: The influence of the Communist Party in Canada is a well-known fact. A Longueuil city councillor of Chinese descent confirmed it. Clearly, the Chinese Communist Party is exerting influence in Canada.

If the Prime Minister is neither naive nor an accomplice, and if he is not showing a lack of political judgment, why is he opposed to an independent inquiry in the other place? Why won’t he let his chief of staff testify? Why is this process, in particular the appointment of a rapporteur, not taking place in cooperation with the other three political parties?

Hon. Larry W. Smith: My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Gold.

At the meeting of the first ministers last month, the federal government announced additional health care transfers to the provinces and territories. While health care funding remains a major issue for the provinces, a lack of licensed doctors is becoming more and more concerning. It has been reported that there are an estimated 13,000 mostly foreign-trained doctors who are unable to practise in Canada today as a result of the discriminatory red-tape policies across the country.

The Prime Minister has made several promises — including in 2019, 2021 and most recently in 2023 — to help provinces and territories hire thousands of doctors and health care staff.

Senator Gold, has the federal government put into action its promises of helping provinces hire additional doctors and health care staff? Can you provide us with specific details of actions taken by the government instead of just pledging funds?

Hon. Leo Housakos: Today, colleagues, the defence from the government leader is fake news — we cannot trust the Globe and Mail and we cannot trust legitimate news outlets. Interesting.

Hon. Leo Housakos: Today, colleagues, the defence from the government leader is fake news — we cannot trust the Globe and Mail and we cannot trust legitimate news outlets. Interesting.

Senator Gold, several times in your replies to our questions yesterday, you said that we need to get serious about allegations of dealing with foreign interference in our electoral system. I can assure you, Senator Gold, that we have been very serious and consistent in asking these questions for a very long time. It is time your government gets serious when it comes to dealing with foreign influence in our country and electoral system. We have had a Prime Minister in the last few days who has been flip-flopping his stories non-stop on all these allegations. He’s been vacillating, and we’ve seen no action whatsoever except for a number of stall tactics and trying to keep Canadians in the dark.

Now, all of a sudden, we have a special rapporteur who is going to solve the problem. Well, Senator Gold, we have an Ethics Commissioner right now advising that your cabinet ministers undergo specialized ethics training because his office is just too busy over at the other place. We have a record number of outside consultant contracts that your government has given out, and they’ve done that in the midst of a bloating civil service. In the meantime, your government cannot provide basic services. Now, he needs someone, of course, to advise him on how to deal with allegations of foreign interference on an election campaign where the allegations claim he participated with his party in that interference.

My question is about the Prime Minister regurgitating an announcement that they will hold public consultations in implementing a foreign agents registry — we’ve heard that now over the last few days. High time we do the right thing. The United Kingdom, the United States, Australia — they already have this legislation in place, government leader.

Public consultation by your government was announced more than a year ago that they were going to do this. Has a date been set for these consultations? No. Has the methodology been established? No. What steps have been taken to launch this public consultation? None.

The question is simple: What concrete action has been taken other than these announcements that have never been followed through on?

Hon. Tony Loffreda: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Nearly two years ago, I asked the question on the government’s action plan for women in the economy. Yesterday was International Women’s Day, so I thought it would be appropriate to ask you about the work of the task force that was created to advance gender equity and address systemic barriers and inequities faced by women in the economy, particularly within the context of the pandemic and the recovery.

Eighteen incredible women served on the panel, and I understand they must treat all discussions, recommendations and reports as confidential. According to its terms of reference, the task force operated for 12 months and should have concluded its work by late 2021.

Senator Gold, I have no doubt the task force has done exceptional work and provided the government with sound advice. I believe Canadians, particularly those within the business community, would also benefit from its recommendations. Can you confirm that the task force conducted and concluded its work, and has a report been produced?