Senator Miville-Dechêne: Yes.

Senator Housakos: I’m getting to the question; examples are useful sometimes. How can we have a government that says they care about this little guy when we are actually taking steps not to allow for competition to fester and grow in the marketplace like, for example, Rogers buying Shaw?

Hon. Senators: Question.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: It was moved by the Honourable Senator Harder and seconded by the Honourable Senator Bellemare that this bill be read a second time. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?

Senator Anderson: I don’t think I am the right person to ask because I have my own opinion as to where this bill should be. But I believe that others should look at this bill again in light of the information I was able to find and what I could not find — there was a lot I could not find — and also for the fact that I just received a piece of it this morning at 10 o’clock, which is concerning given that that information is what was supposed to have informed the development of and the introduction of this bill in June 2022 in the House.

Senator Moncion: I have a short question. Can this bill be fixed?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

(At 5:41 p.m., the Senate was continued until Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at 2 p.m.)

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

Hon. Hassan Yussuff: Will the senator take a question?

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Is leave granted, honourable senators?

Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Honourable senators, I note that this item is at day 15, but I am not ready to speak. Therefore, with leave of the Senate and notwithstanding rule 4-15(3), I move adjournment of the debate for the balance of my time.

Hon. Paula Simons: Senator Batters, would you take another question?

Senator Batters: Yes.

Hon. Brent Cotter: Will you take a question, Senator Batters?

Senator Batters: Yes.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Is leave granted, honourable senators?

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

And two honourable senators having risen:

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Do we have an agreement on the bell?

Senator Seidman: The vote will be deferred to the next sitting of the Senate.

Hon. Lucie Moncion: Would the senator agree to take a question?

Senator Miville-Dechêne: Yes.

Senator Dasko: I’m asking Senator Manning what his response to that fact is. It’s not as if the traditional media are actually disappearing out of Canadians’ lives. Just a response. Thank you.

Hon. Dennis Glen Patterson: Senator Gold, this Saturday, residents of Nunavut will pay significantly higher costs for gasoline and home heating fuel due to the federal government forcing the Government of Nunavut to no longer provide a direct subsidy in those fuels at the pump, a system put in place after the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change was implemented in 2016. But now, starting Saturday, the federal government has refused to allow that direct subsidy at the pumps to continue, and it threatened to impose the dreaded backstop, which would have returned carbon tax revenues from Nunavut to the federal government, despite pleas from the Government of Nunavut not to do that.

Senator Gold, my question is this: Why is the federal government now punishing Nunavut homeowners, drivers and hunters who already have the highest cost of living in the country and have been hard hit by inflationary price increases?