Senator Plett: Well, leader, the Prime Minister never has to worry about not having a passport when he flies to New York. Meanwhile, his government is telling Canadians to not even apply for a passport right now because they can’t be processed. I’m not surprised the Prime Minister decided to go to New York when 150,000 public workers are on strike.

Leader, it reminds me of the time he flew overseas and warmly embraced the Iranian foreign minister just weeks after Iran shot down a plane carrying dozens of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. It also reminds me of how he flew to B.C. for a surfing holiday on the very first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It further reminds me, leader, of a famous saying: “While Rome burned, Nero fiddled.” The similarities here, leader, are that Nero also was an ineffectual leader in a time of crisis.

Leader, what does this say about the Prime Minister’s priorities that he chose to be in New York today, hanging out with celebrities and attending luncheons and receptions in Manhattan instead of working to fix the mess that he, leader, has created in our country?

Senator Gold: First of all, senator, thank you for your question. Thank you for underlining the challenges that are facing all Canadians affected by this strike.

The position of this government is, has been and will continue to be to support the collective bargaining process. It has confidence in this process, in its negotiators and in the leadership of the unions to try to reach an appropriate negotiated settlement.

It is true that strikes are disruptive. It is true that there has been and may continue to be inconvenience to Canadians. The government is committed to being transparent about these matters and the impact on services. Essential federal services, which protect the safety and security of the public, are continuing and will continue to be delivered. This includes payments for Old Age Security, Canada Pension Plan, Child Care Benefit, veterans’ and unemployment insurance. Other services may be partially or indeed fully disrupted, and that includes Service Canada centres, passports and the like.

It is not business as usual. The government’s priority is to support the collective bargaining process in the hope that a negotiated settlement can be reached soon.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): My question today is for the Liberal government’s leader in the Senate. We are now into the second week of the biggest federal public sector strike in Canadian history. The access Canadians have to many basic government services is being impacted, leader. For example, at 11 a.m., a taxpayer calling the Canada Revenue Agency for help filing their taxes had to wait for 2 hours and 18 minutes. The CRA’s helpline for businesses has been shut down entirely during the strike.

As well, the Wheat Growers Association and Keystone Agricultural Producers of Manitoba are very worried about the impact of this strike on the ability of our farmers to have their grain weighed and inspected for export abroad.

Leader, given all of this, why is the Prime Minister in New York City today?