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

That the Senate call on the Government of Canada to replace its outdated program delivery and information technology systems by urgently accelerating the implementation of user-friendly, digital solutions that transform the public service delivery experience of Canadians, and ultimately reduce the cost of program delivery.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Government leader, in last year’s budget speech, the Minister of Finance said:

We are absolutely determined that our debt-to-GDP ratio must continue to decline. Our deficits must continue to be reduced. . . .

This is our fiscal anchor. This is a line we shall not cross. It will ensure that our finances remain sustainable. Let me repeat: “This is a line we shall not cross.”

Less than one year later, Senator Gold, by her own admission, Minister Freeland has brought forward a budget that is not sustainable. The debt-to-GDP ratio, the Liberals’ so-called fiscal anchor, will be higher than projected not just for the upcoming 2023-24 fiscal year but also for the year after that.

Leader, now that the Jagmeet Singh–Trudeau government has tossed aside its fiscal anchor and crossed the line they said they would not cross, how can it claim any credibility whatsoever when it comes to Canada’s financial management? When will Justin Trudeau do the right thing and give Canadians the opportunity to again decide whether he has the right to govern this country?

Hon. Denise Batters: Senator Gold, another budget, and the Trudeau government still plans to triple the carbon tax that is crushing Canada’s farmers and consumers. It’s set to rise again on Saturday — fittingly, April Fool’s Day.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business tells us that this year, more than $8 billion will be collected from small businesses in carbon tax, and only $35 million of it will be returned in rebates. “The Food Professor,” Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, wrote in a column today that small agri-food business owners are also really feeling the squeeze. He said that, as a result:

. . . by 2030, the carbon tax will potentially become a much more significant driver of food inflation than climate change itself.

Senator Gold, when will this Trudeau government axe the carbon tax so that Canadians can afford to eat?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Leader, when the recent reports of Beijing’s interference in our elections emerged, the Prime Minister did not treat them with the seriousness that they deserved. First, he blamed the whistle-blower. Then, he said the allegations were inaccurate, but he wouldn’t say why. He then went on to label legitimate questions as racism. After that, he had backbench Liberal MPs walk out and filibuster at committee for three weeks. Then, he appointed an old family friend and Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation member as a made-up special rapporteur.

Leader, the budget contained almost $50 million for the RCMP to counter foreign interference and protect Canadians from this harassment. How did the Prime Minister go from dismissing these reports to giving them an entire section in his budget in just a few short weeks?

Senator Plett: A year ago, leader, I actually received an answer to one of my written questions on the Senate’s Order Paper concerning foreign interference — it doesn’t happen very often. I asked how many Canadians had contacted the RCMP’s National Security Information Network regarding foreign interference. The answer was that — in 2021 alone — over 11,000 calls and emails were received, from which 682 tips were forwarded to the National Security Programme. In January 2022 alone, the RCMP received 873 calls and emails.

It seems to me that for some time now the RCMP has needed more resources to investigate foreign interference, including the harassment and intimidation of Canadians by Beijing’s Communist regime.

Would the RCMP have received this funding if the Prime Minister didn’t need to look as though he is taking the matter seriously?

Senator Gold: The funds that the RCMP is receiving are funds that are necessary to protect Canadians, and allow the RCMP to do its job — as they are faced with increasingly intensive attempts by many state parties and non-state actors to interfere in our institutions, and to sow chaos and mistrust amongst Canadians in the faith of those institutions. That’s the reason why the additional resources are made available to the RCMP, and we have every confidence that they will do their job.

An Hon. Senator: Hear, hear!

Senator Marshall: I actually checked on that number the other day. The number that you gave is the most current — that’s from a couple of years ago.

However, as I said in my speech, the underground economy was recently released. They actually take into consideration the number that they use for the tax gap. There is a number in there that includes the underground economy, but the numbers are a couple of years old; I have to admit that.

There was a recent report on the underground economy that was released earlier this year, and I think you would find it interesting to read the report, and read the strategy, because when I read the strategy — this is probably the nicest way to put it — I wasn’t impressed, as they are emphasizing education. You are going to educate people not to use the underground economy. There was no emphasis on enforcement, so I just, sort of, threw it in the garbage — but, I did think of you when I read it.

No, that hasn’t been updated — the numbers haven’t been updated for a couple of years. That’s the most recent one; I checked it on the website.

I did mention your legislation that you tabled today, and I will be supporting that. We’ll see what happens, but I think it’s great that, at least, it will be one step forward.

Some Hon. Senators: No.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: I believe the “yeas” have it.

And two honourable senators having risen:

Senator Batters: Senator Gold, one in five Canadians are skipping meals because they simply can’t afford to eat. Prime Minister Trudeau’s inflationary spending is a major factor, and now he is cranking up the carbon tax that hits not only Canadian farmers but also agri-food businesses and will further drive up food prices for every Canadian consumer. Canada’s Food Price Report 2023 predicts that a family of four will spend more than $1,000 extra on food this year, almost $600 more than the GST credit they would get. No matter how you slice it, it just doesn’t cut it.

Last week, Minister Wilkinson actually referred to the carbon tax as an affordability measure. Clearly, he hasn’t lived in Saskatchewan for a very long time.

Why doesn’t the Trudeau government save its pennies-on-the-dollar rebates and instead axe the carbon tax to give Canadians real relief on their grocery bills?

Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Senator Gold, last week, on March 21, Uganda’s parliament passed a new law, which was described as the world’s most repressive sexual diversity legislation.

Possible penalties have been increased — up to and including the death penalty — for, and I quote, “aggravated homosexuality.” Identifying as a member of the LGBTQ+ community will be a crime. In addition, anyone who fails to report a homosexual person would be subject to a six-month prison sentence.

Uganda has become the most homophobic state in the world. What does the government intend to do about such a discriminatory and backward law?

Hon. Marty Klyne: Thank you for the question. AOVS is authorized on its own initiative by the Rules of the Senate to retain the services of internal auditors and to oversee the Senate’s internal audits, among other related matters. As outlined in the Senate Audit and Oversight Charter, the chief audit executive, or CAE, will report to our committee, making it a unique position in the Senate. The new position, the CAE, is crucial for us to be able to fulfill our mandate. As you noted, they will be responsible for drafting and implementing a risk-based internal audit plan under our direction.

The hiring process for the chief audit executive is well under way as the Senate adopted the committee’s budget to hire a recruitment firm in June 2022, which was selected following a request for proposal process last summer.

The AOVS committee will be presenting a budget to the Senate in coming days, requesting approval to extend the contract of that recruitment firm. We have just completed first-round interviews and will now be moving to a second round of interviews. I expect the committee will be making an offer in coming weeks, shortly after the break. I hope we can make an announcement of the new CAE soon thereafter and on board in May.

As colleagues know, AOVS was created by the Senate with the intent to be completely independent from the Senate’s management committee, the Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration Committee, known as CIBA. That said, the CAE will need to align the Senate’s internal audit function with the Senate’s existing governance structure, including the role of the Audit and Oversight Committee. The work will focus on matters of relevancy as driven by an approved risk internal audit plan, and, in that regard, make valued contributions, providing insight and recommendations and serving as a catalyst for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the Senate’s operations. Thank you.

[Translation]

Senator Dalphond: I understand that our policies may be similar to United States policy. John Kirby, the United States National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, said last Tuesday that U.S. foreign policy supports expanded human rights throughout the world. He said that they:

. . . are never going to shy away or be bashful about speaking up for those rights and for . . . individuals to live as they deem fit, as they want to live.

He added, “And that’s something that’s a core part of our foreign policy, and it will remain so.”

Is that the case for Canadian foreign policy?

Senator Gold: Thank you.

Canadian foreign policy has always been — from the very early days — one that promotes human rights. Indeed, the formation of the Charter — a universal human rights charter — was, importantly, a product of many, but also of John Humphrey, an eminent Canadian. It remains a cornerstone of Canadian foreign policy, and our government will continue to speak up loudly and proudly on behalf of all those who are oppressed.

[Translation]

Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: My question is for Senator Gold. According to statistics from the Canadian Femicide Observatory, 184 women were murdered last year, in 2022. That is 11 more than in 2021 and 36% more than in 2019. As I said before, Quebec is doing its part by creating courts specializing in cases involving domestic and sexual violence on the initiative of Quebec justice minister Simon Jolin-Barrette.

The minister is just getting back from London, where he presented his project to the legal and political communities, who commended him for it. Minister Jolin-Barrette wants every Quebec district to have its own court by 2026. He said that he is fully committed to shifting the focus of the Quebec justice system to victims. Can you tell me when Justin Trudeau’s government will do the same?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question and for once again pointing out the importance of victims’ rights and continuing to look into that issue in our provincial and federal systems. I commend you for it.

As you know, the government has made a lot of progress and a lot of investments to help front-line organizations that provide essential services to survivors of sexual violence. Over 1,200 organizations receive government support. What is more, the government has implemented a national action plan that will inform the next steps. The government is working with its provincial and territorial counterparts to address this critically important issue.

Hon. Tony Loffreda: Honourable senators, as the saying goes, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

Tel Aviv University Canada is literally reaching for the stars as it aims to launch its first nanosatellite advancing innovative climate change tools and solutions. Known as the Ilan Ramon Memorial Project, this trailblazing initiative is named after Israel’s first astronaut and a Tel Aviv University graduate who sadly perished in the Columbia space shuttle disaster 20 years ago.

The project is chaired by Sylvan Adams, a world-renowned Canadian-Israeli businessman, and supported by Israeli businessman Eytan Stibbe and Canadian philanthropist Mark Pathy, both of whom participated in last year’s privately funded Ax-1 mission to the International Space Station.

We were reminded this week by the UN that climate change remains one of the biggest challenges of our time. Canada can speak with first-hand experience about the devastating impact it has and will continue to have on our nation. The devastation of recent events like Hurricane Fiona in Atlantic Canada, floods in B.C., melting ice in the North and forest fires remind us all of our vulnerability.

For the sake of our collective well-being, we must find urgent and sustainable solutions to fight, mitigate and adapt to our changing planet, so it’s important that we reach for those stars while remaining grounded in reality.

And the reality on the ground is there is some urgency before us. The UN report explained that “. . . limited research and/or slow and low uptake of adaptation science . . .” is a key barrier to climate change adaptation.

Tel Aviv University is answering that call by seeking to become a global academic centre of excellence in the field of space science and engineering, while developing nanosatellites that advance Israel’s edge in climate change action and carbon emission reduction.

Its nanosatellite has the potential of unlocking scientific data that can monitor current environmental problems like plastic pollution in the oceans, forest fires, methane leaks from oil and gas pipelines, melting Arctic ice and urban heat islands for more sustainable cities.

Honourable senators, many years ago, I had the honour to visit Tel Aviv University and was impressed by its state-of-the-art campus and modern research and scientific facilities, which is why I endorse this initiative.

I invite all Canadians to support and learn more about the Ilan Ramon Memorial Project and the immense potential of its climate-change-fighting new nanosatellite as we encourage Tel Aviv University Canada to reach for the stars. Thank you.

Hon. Percy E. Downe: Honourable senators, last week, wonderful news was received by all of us who have been involved in the fight against overseas tax evasion and money laundering. On March 22, the Government of Canada introduced in the House of Commons Bill C-42 to establish a beneficial ownership registry in Canada, which addresses most of the concerns of those seeking to solve the ongoing problem of Canada’s worldwide status as a haven for money laundering.

As Jon Allen, member of the Board of Directors of Transparency International Canada, stated when he appeared in December 2017 before the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce:

The bottom line . . . [is that] more rigorous identity checks are now required for individuals to obtain a library card in Toronto or Ottawa than for those establishing companies in Canada.

I want to thank Finance Minister Freeland, who was the driving force behind this legislation. Many of us have been after the government for years and years to address this problem, and no previous Minister of Finance would take any action. Minister Freeland not only took action but has proposed a beneficial ownership registry that is free to access, contains verified information, is accessible to the public and is adaptable to include the information held by provinces and territories that decide to participate.

In addition, Minister Champagne, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, has applied his extensive business experience to finalize a very impressive and targeted piece of legislation. This bill, among other things, proposes administrative sanctions and criminal penalties of up to $200,000 and/or six months of jail time for violation of the act.

But for this legislation to be successful, we will need all provinces and territories to participate fully in the fight against money laundering. When this legislation comes to the Senate, we will, as always, do our careful study and review to see if further improvements are needed.

Overall, however, this long-overdue legislation has finally arrived in Parliament and will be a tremendous benefit to Canada when it finally passes. Thank you.